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PAN  AND  THE  TWINS 


PAN  AND 
THE  TWINS 


BY 

EDEN    PHILLPOTTS 

AUTHOR    OF    "ivANDIr" 


I 


NEW   YORK 
THE   MACMILLAN   COMPANY 

1922 


J  J  J 
i  i  J 


Printed  in  Great  Britain 


»   I.         i     t     I  t      ^      < 

t      t      I     c    c  c        t  < 


'PR. 
5(7  7 


'i 


Y  CONTENTS 

I     CMAPIKK 

y*^       I.  In  the  Campagna     . 

II.  The  Father  of  Arcadius 

III.  Of  Emperor  Valentinian 

IV.  Gloom 
o     V.  "  Innocence,"  the  Bear 
*    VI.  The  Advent  of  Ceres 

CJ 

^VII.  HiLARION 

VIII.  The  Cavern  by  the  Broo 

IX.  The  Convert    . 

X.  Tragedy  . 

XI.  A  Compact 

XII.  Suspense  . 

XIII.  The  Way  Out 

XIV.  They  Gird  Themselves 


fACE 
I 

19 

39 

54 
69 

88 

106 

125 

138 

164 

179 
200 

216 

235 


K 


IN   THE   CAMPAGNA 

DARK  athwart  the  purple  twiHght  of 
the  Campagna  there  stretched  an 
aqueduct  bearing  sweet  water  to 
Rome.  The  flight  of  its  arches  echpsed  newly- 
risen  stars  and  sprang  aloft  from  among  reeds 
and  thickets,  where  danced  the  fire-fly  and 
croaked  the  frog. 

At  the  foot  of  a  stone  pier,  huddled  together, 
bruised  and  suffering  from  many  blows  and 
many  wrongs,  there  sat  a  ragged  lad.  His 
face  had  been  beautiful  save  for  the  grief 
upon  it  ;  but  it  was  stained  with  tears  and 
distorted  with  pain.  The  boy  was  dark-eyed, 
with  a  delicacy  of  feature  and  a  brooding 
thoughtfulness  of  expression  akin  to  the 
sculptors'  Antinous.  Now,  however,  tribula- 
tion concealed  his  good  looks,  and  he  wept 
again  at  the  hopelessness  of  his  position. 
B  I 


PAN  AND  THE  TWINS 

The  stars  ascended  from  their  eclipse  behind 
the  aqueduct  and  the  young  moon  set ;  but 
it  was  scarcely  dark,  for  another  day  already 
loitered  behind  the  mountains. 

Then  came  a  precious  shape  out  of  the 
gloom,  and  Pan,  plodding  through  the  night- 
hidden  Campagna,  stood  above  this  miserable 
lad. 

It  was,  indeed.  Pan  himself — the  Pasturer, 
son  of  Zeus  and  Callisto.  He  came,  a  stalwart 
shape  with  shaggy  breast  and  arms,  puck-nose, 
bright  horns  and  genial  countenance — man 
and  animal  one — with  the  all-seeing  eyes  of 
divinity.  His  syrinx  hung  over  his  shoulder 
and  about  his  head  there  streamed  a  halo  of 
adoring  fire-flies,  that  moved  as  he  moved. 

"  And  what  is  the  matter  with  you,  human 
boy  ?  "  asked  the  god  mildly. 

The  youngster  instantly  recognising  that 
august  presence,  was  too  alarmed  immediately 
to  answer.  He  fell  upon  his  knees  and  Pan 
patted  his  thick,  black  hair. 

"  Why,  Arcadius,  do  you  weep  in  this  un- 
manly fashion  ?  "  he  inquired. 

2 


IN   THE   CAMPAGNA 


n 


Very  dreadful  things  have  happened, 
Mighty  One,"  answered  the  youth,  "  and  I 
cannot  forbear  to  shed  tears,  for  all  happi- 
ness and  hope  have  departed  out  of  my 
life." 

"  At  fifteen  years  of  age  there  is  still  hope," 
replied  Pan.  "  Relate  your  tale,  and  I  shall  see 
if  you  tell  it  truly." 

He  sat  dow^n,  crossed  his  hairy  thighs  and 
waited  for  the  boy  to  speak. 

"  I  was  slave  to  Caius  Crassus  and  worked 
in  his  vineyards  until  to-day,"  began  Arcadius. 
"  But  this  morning,  as  ill-luck  willed,  I  fell 
into  prayer  and  had  set  this — your  image — 
upon  a  stone,  and  was  worshipping  before  it 
when  my  master  entered  the  vineyard  and 
surprised  me." 

From  his  wallet  he  produced  a  little  figure 
of  Pan  coarsely  carved  on  a  piece  of  walnut 
wood. 

The  god  examined  it. 

"  Not  an  inspiration,"  he  said,  "  yet  doubt- 
less the  artist  meant  well." 

"  I  will  destroy  it  now  that  I  have  seen  you 

3 


PAN  AND  THE  TWINS 

with  my  own  eyes,  Mighty  One,"  answered 
Arcadius ;    but  his  deity  prevented  him. 

"  Keep  it,"  he  replied  ;  "  the  puppet  will 
serve  to  remind  you  of  a  day  worth  remem- 
bering." 

"  I  shan't  forget  this  hour  in  a  hurry," 
answered  the  lad.  "  My  grief  may  be  for- 
gotten, not  my  God." 

"  Proceed  with  your  story  then." 

"  Caius  Crassus  is  a  Christian  and  uneven 
tempered ;  but  he  seldom  beats  us.  Un- 
fortunately, however,  while  I  lifted  my 
prayer,  sundry  accursed  goats,  who  know  you 
not,  strayed  in  the  vines  and  did  much  evil. 
Observing  this,  my  master  terribly  chastised 
me — my  back  is  bruised  and  I  am  still  aching 
all  over.  Nor  is  that  the  worst,  for  Caius 
Crassus  cast  me  out  and  willed  that  he  should 
never  see  my  face  again.  Thus  life  is  ended, 
and  I  hope  that  I  may  presently  die  and 
be  no  more." 

"  To  pray  is  good,"  answered  Pan,  "  and  to 
pray  to  me  was  not  amiss ;  but  to  pray  to  me, 
when  you  ought  to  be  working  for  somebody 

4 


IN  JHE  CAMPAGNA 

else,  only  proves  that  you  have  not  yet  grasped 
the  nature  of  things.  Your  prayer  to  me  was 
uttered  at  the  expense  of  your  duty  to  Caius 
Crassus  ;  and  such  devotion  is  of  doubtful 
lustre.  I  heard,  however,  and  I  was  aware  of 
the  sequel.  But  henceforth  do  not  address 
yourself  to  me,  when  you  should  be  about 
other  business." 

"  I  have  no  '  henceforth,'  Great  God," 
answered  Arcadius.  "  I  do  not  want  to  go  on 
living.  Life  without  happiness — there  is  no 
charm  in  that." 

"  Like  all  young  things,  and  middle-aged 
things,  and  even  old  things,  you  are  greedy  of 
happiness,"  answered  Pan,  "  and  I  am  the  last 
to  blame  you  ;  but  happiness  is  a  difhcult 
subject,  Arcadius,  concerning  which  I  will 
expound  the  truth  on  another  occasion.  For 
the  moment  you  need  healing  and  consolation. 
To  the  broken  boy  a  sound  skin  is  happiness, 
therefore,  so  far,  be  happy  ;  to  the  hungry 
boy  a  full  skin  is  happiness,  therefore,  so  far, 
feel  joy." 

The  god  lifted  his  great  hand,  stroked  the 

S 


PAN  AND  THE  TWINS 

bruises  of  Arcadius  and  healed  them  ;  while 
delight  mantled  the  lad's  face  at  feeling  him- 
self whole  ;  and  then  Pan  touched  the  earth, 
whereupon  appeared  a  cake  of  wheaten  bread, 
a  wedge  of  honeycomb,  four  great  red  plums 
and  a  handful  of  chestnuts. 

He  watched  Arcadius  eat  and  smiled,  even 
as  a  kindly  mortal  will  smile  to  see  youth 
feeding  with  good  appetite  ;  but  his  counten- 
ance appeared  to  be  melancholy  and  his  divine 
thoughts  tinged  with  gloom.  This  the  boy 
perceived,  for  he  was  an  observant  lad. 

"  Sorrow  is  upon  your  face.  Mighty  One,"  he 
ventured  to  say  ;  "  but  I  will  never  make  you 
sorry  again.  I  will  be  good  and  worship  at  the 
proper  time  in  future,  and  work  hard  if  I  can 
find  a  master." 

"  Sorrow  is  upon  my  face,  as  you  declare," 
answered  Pan,  "  for  a  sufficient  reason.  To-day 
though  Rome  knows  it  not  as  yet,  there  has 
fallen  the  Emperor.  He  expired  far  off  be- 
yond the  Tigris  after  defeating  the  armies  of 
King  Sapor." 

"  JuHan  !  "  cried  the  lad. 

6 


IN  THE  CAMPAGNA 

"  A  Persian  spear  has  ended  that  remarkable 
Hfe  and  turned  the  hour  of  triumph  into 
mourning,"  answered  Pan.  "  He  who  sup- 
ported our  altars  against  the  Time  Spirit  has 
vanished  and  an  evil  day  is  dawning  for  the 
gods,  a  worse  for  the  goddesses.  With  Julian's 
passing,  our  temples  must  presently  be  shut 
and  deserted  ;  the  Christians  will  pardon,  or 
seek  revenge,  according  to  their  natures. 
Therefore  I  am  sad  while,  with  proleptic  eyes, 
I  gaze  into  the  future." 

"  The  Emperor  Julian  fallen  !  " 

"  Nobly  he  fell,  with  his  face  to  the  foe, 
and  never  man  spoke  worthier  words  before 
his  spirit  fled,"  replied  Pan.  "  About  him 
assembled  Oribazius,  his  physician,  and  the 
sages,  Priscus  and  Maximus,  of  Ephesus,  with- 
out whom  he  travelled  not.  There  came  also 
Hormizdas  Lucilian,  Sallustius,  Jovian  and  a 
young  centurion  of  the  imperial  horse,  Am- 
mianus  Marcellinus,  who  in  time  to  come  will 
win  fame  as  an  historian  of  these  events.  Thus, 
then,  did  the  dying  Caesar  address  them,  while 
with   lowered    heads    and    falling    tears    they 

7 


PAN  AND  THE  "TWINS 

mourned  his  fate.  '  I  have  learned  from 
philosophy,'  said  Julian,  *  how  much  more 
excellent  is  the  soul  than  the  body,  and  that 
the  separation  of  the  nobler  substance  should 
be  the  subject  of  joy  rather  than  of  affliction. 
...  I  die  without  remorse,  as  I  have  lived 
without  guilt.  ...  I  have  considered  the 
happiness  of  my  people  as  the  end  of  govern- 
ment.' Observe,  Arcadius,  that  Julian,  too, 
thought  upon  happiness — for  others.  Though 
he  had  been  forewarned  that  by  the  sword  he 
must  die,  the  Emperor  hesitated  not  to  lead 
his  armies  against  the  national  foe.  And  what 
does  he  say  at  the  last  ?  '  I  now  offer  my 
tribute  of  gratitude  to  the  Eternal  Being,  who 
has  not  suffered  me  to  perish  by  the  cruelty 
of  a  tyrant,  by  the  dagger  of  secret  enemies,  or 
the  tortures  of  disease.'  Nor  did  Julian  name 
another  to  follow  him  in  the  purple.  With 
virile  wisdom  he  left  that  great  task  to  the  living 
and  allowed  no  dead  hand  to  weight  their 
councils.  '  As  a  good  citizen,'  said  he,  '  I  shall 
only  express  my  hopes  that  the  Romans  may 
be  blessed  with  the  government  of  a  virtuous 

8 


IN  THE  CAMPAGNA 

sovereign.'  So  Julian  departed  off  the  earth 
and  was  united  with  the  stars  and  Apollo,  the 
Lord  of  Light." 

Pan  ceased  for  a  time,  and  Arcadius  con- 
sidered these  great  matters.  Then  his  god 
turned  to  the  lad's  affairs. 

*'  I  shall  now,"  he  said,  "  relate  your  history, 
which  it  becomes  essential  you  should  know." 

"  I  only  remember  that  I  had  a  little  twin 
brother,"  replied  Arcadius,  "  and  we  were 
separated  when  still  very  small." 

*'  The  facts  are  these,"  explained  his  deity. 
"  Your  father,  Marcus  Pomponius,  a  good  and 
kindly  man,  loved  your  mother,  Aurelia  ;  but 
she  being  a  daughter  of  the  people  and  he  a 
patrician,  it  was  not  convenient  that  he  should 
wed  her.  Aurelia  died  when  you  and  your 
twin  brother  came  into  the  world,  and  your 
maternal  grandmother,  who  hated  Marcus, 
looked  to  it  that  his  children  should  see 
Pomponius  no  more.  He  much  desired  to 
make  the  world  a  pleasant  place  for  both  of 
you  ;  but  he  was  prevented  from  doing  so, 
and  though  he  endeavoured  to  find  you  after 

9 


PAN  AND  THE  TWINS 

his  great  grief  at  your  mother's  death,  good 
care  was  taken  that  he  should  not.  He  there- 
fore erected  a  handsome  stele  to  the  beautiful 
Aurelia,  who  was  buried  in  his  own  grounds 
and  not  among  the  folk,  mourned  her  with 
bitter  tears,  prayed  the  gods  to  bless  her  in 
Hades,  and  presently  married  Placidia,  the 
daughter  of  Scribonius  Spartianus.  With 
Placidia  and  his  mother,  the  matron  Latona, 
your  father  now  dwells  at  his  famous  villa  on 
a  spur  of  the  Sabine  Mountains  nigh  Tivoli. 
And  thither  you  must  seek  him.  Proclaim  to 
him  that  you  are  his  son,  and  let  him  know 
that  Pan  has  sent  you.  Should  he  doubt, 
permit  him  to  see  my  gift  ;  then  he  will  doubt 
no  more." 

"  Your  gift  is  eaten,  Great  God,"  answered 
Arcadius,  licking  his  lips. 

"  My  gift  has  yet  to  be  given,"  replied  Pan. 
"  Briefly,  you  shall  be  privileged  to  understand 
the  speech  of  all  things  of  the  pad  and  hoof  and 
wing.  This  will  be  useful  knowledge  in  the  days 
to  come,  and  such  an  accomplishment  must 
convince  your  parent,  if  indeed  your  remarkable 

10 


IN  THE  CAMPAGNA 

likeness  to  your  mother  fails  to  do  so.  But 
fear  not  :  he  will  receive  you  with  genuine 
delight.  He  has  no  family,  and  his  wife  is  a 
Christian.  Himself  he  worships  the  Great 
Mother,  Rhea-Cybele,  and  entertains  an  affec- 
tion for  me  also.  Indeed  a  considerable  part 
of  his  domain  is  at  my  service,  and  I  often 
wander  there  and  bless  his  flocks  and  herds. 
For  the  present,  farewell.  The  gods,  Arcadius, 
care  not  for  crowds.  Their  highest  entertain- 
ment is  found  in  watching  a  single  body  and 
mind  working  alone.  Thus  I  shall  follow 
you,  and  I  trust  you  to  remember  it  and  give 
me  nothing  but  pleasure.  Meet  me  here  in 
six  months'  time,  when  Jovian  reigns  and 
Julian  lies  in  his  last,  long  sleep  beside  the 
crystal  founts  of  Cydnus.  The  philosophers 
will  demand  that  his  body  should  rest  in  the 
groves  of  the  Academy ;  his  soldiers  will 
clamour  to  join  his  warrior  ashes  with  those 
of  Caesar  in  the  Field  of  Mars.  Seldom  has  the 
dust  of  a  king  awakened  such  competition." 

Arcadius  ventured  to  speak  before  the  god 
departed. 

II 


PAN  AND  THE  TWINS 

"  Do  you  know  my  brother,  Mighty  One  ?  " 
he  asked. 

"  I  do,"  answered  Pan,  "  and  it  is  seemly 
that  you  should  think  upon  him.  He  is  become 
a  Christian  from  force  of  circumstances,  and 
promises  to  be  a  very  good  one.  When  you 
were  sold  for  a  handful  of  silver  denarii  to 
Caius  Crassus,  your  twin  brother  was  received 
into  the  household  of  Cassius  P.  Lucanus. 
But  he  liked  it  not  and  ran  away." 

"  Shall  I  ever  see  him  again  ?  "  inquired 
Arcadius,  and  Pan  promised  that  he  might 
expect  to  do  so. 

"  In  years  to  come  you  will  meet,"  he 
answered.  "  And  now  go  upon  your  way. 
Enter  Rome  to-morrow,  and  in  the  market- 
place you  shall  see  a  man  with  a  cart  and  black 
horse.  Beg  for  a  lift  to  Tivoli,  and  his  heart 
will  be  touched  to  grant  it.  From  his  destina- 
tion anybody  will  direct  you  to  the  Pomponian 
lands." 

Grateful  Arcadius  knelt  down,  kissed  the 
hoof  of  the  god  and  went  his  way  ;  but  he 
had  not  proceeded  a  hundred  paces  when  he 

12 


IN  THE  CAMPAGNA 

heard  Pan's  syrinx,  for  the  guardian  of  living 
things  had  lifted  the  reed  to  his  lips  and  now 
wailed  a  melancholy  dirge  to  the  Shade  of 
departed  Julian. 

And  at  that  sacred  sound,  the  creatures  of 
the  night  pricked  ear  and  set  forth  on  speedy 
paws,  that  they  might  salute  the  god.  Many 
hastened  past  Arcadius,  who  would  have 
questioned  them,  to  learn  if  indeed  he  had 
received  the  divine  gift  of  animal  understand- 
ing ;  but  lynx  and  pard,  fox  and  brock,  rats 
and  mice,  great  buffaloes,  does  and  little  fawns 
all  hastened  so  swiftly  that  he  might  not 
address  them. 

Then  came  a  huge  tortoise — Pan's  own  beast, 
dedicate  of  old  time  to  the  god — and  though 
he  lumbered  along  at  his  best  pace,  it  was  not 
difficult  for  Arcadius  to  move  beside  him. 

"  Tell  me,  good  friend,"  said  he,  "  are  you 
a  happy  tortoise  ?  " 

And  the  reptile  understood,  but  since  his 
intellect  was  too  small  to  feel  surprise  at  being 
questioned  by  a  human  boy,  replied  in  a  matter- 
of-fact  tone. 

13 


PAN  AND  THE  TWINS 

"  I  am  two  hundred  years  old,"  he  said,  and 
appeared  to  think  no  farther  answer  was 
needed. 

Arcadius  walked  three  miles  and  then, 
beyond  the  range  of  Pan's  melancholy  piping, 
the  animals  were  about  their  own  affairs  and 
in  no  hurry,  for  never  a  wild  beast  hastens 
unless  there  is  need  to  do  so. 

The  boy  stopped  a  vixen  fox  and  put  his 
former  problem. 

"  Are  you  a  happy  fox  ?  "  he  inquired  ;  and 
the  creature  understood  and  was  rather  pleased 
to  be  questioned. 

"  I  might  easily  be,"  she  answered,  "  though 
as  a  fact  I  am  not.  We  foxes  are  a  sequestered 
people  without  any  sense  of  large  friendship 
and  communion.  We  mate  and  live  alone.  We 
seldom  see  our  neighbours,  and  make  no  offer 
of  amity  when  we  do.  No  other  fox  visits  my 
den  ;  no  mother  compares  her  cubs  with  mine, 
or  exchanges  the  news,  or  even  passes  the  time 
of  day.  We  keep  ourselves  to  ourselves,  and 
when  our  young  are  grown,  they  go  out  into 
the  world  and  we  see  them  no  more.    The  life 

H 


IN  7 HE  CAMPAGNA 

of  a  fox,  therefore,  is  lonely,  for  a  husband  is 
not  society  —  and  children  cannot  take  the 
place  of  neighbours,  gossip,  company.  There- 
fore being  by  birth  a  fox,  though  at  heart  un- 
foxlike,  gregarious,  intensely  sociable,  convivial 
and  hospitable,  I  am  disappointed,  because  no 
opportunity  arises  or  can  arise  for  the  display 
of  my  gifts.  The  unusual  are,  as  a  rule,  un- 
happy.   You  may  have  noticed  that." 

"  You  ought  to  have  been  another  person," 
said  Arcadius. 

*'  Exactly,"  answered  the  vixen. 

"  It  seems  a  common  state  of  things,"  con- 
tinued the  boy. 

"  That  makes  it  no  better,"  replied  she. 
"  To  kill  the  fatted  calf  for  friends  !  To  gather 
a  whole  party  of  foxes  and  entertain  them  and 
be  entertained  !  How  admirable  an  experi- 
ence !  But  it  is  denied  me,  because  normal, 
vulpine  nature  hates  parties  and,  in  any  case, 
I  know  not  a  soul  to  ask." 

"  I  might  visit  you  some  day  and  tell  you 
the  news,"  said  Arcadius,  and  she  thanked 
him,  but  not  warmly. 

15 


PAN  AND  "THE  TWINS 

"  It  wouldn't  be  quite  the  same  thing,"  she 
explained. 

"  I  suppose  not,"  he  answered.  Then  he 
bade  her  good  night  and  walked  toward  the 
walls  of  the  city. 

Here,  protected  from  wild  beasts  by  shep- 
herds standing  silent  like  sentinels  round 
about,  there  ranged  the  flocks  and  herds  of 
Rome ;  and  presently  Arcadius  found  himself 
among  slumbering  sheep,  that  breathed  heavily 
in  the  darkness  and  minded  not  the  summer 
dew  upon  their  fleeces.  One  moved  to  turn 
over  and  her  the  lad  accosted. 

"  Are  you  a  happy  sheep  ?  "  he  asked,  and 
the  sheep,  who  was  sleeping  badly,  but  pos- 
sessed patience  and  even  intelligence,  explained 
that  she  was  not. 

"  I  might  be,"  she  said,  "  but  temperament 
makes  my  lot  not  such  as  I  would  most  desire. 
I  should  have  loved  a  lonely  life  of  retirement 
and  contemplation.  I  look  up  to  yonder  hills 
and  envy  the  creatures  who  can  go  all  day  and 
night  without  seeing  a  fellow-being.  Silence, 
peace,  solitude  :    these  are  my  dream.     But 

i6 


IN  THE  CAMPAGNA 

they  can  never  be  mine,  because  I  belong  to  a 
people  not  happy  out  o£  sight  of  each  other, 
and  only  strong  in  the  strength  of  a  multitude. 
I  am  one  of  a  timid  folk  who  love  to  hear  each 
other's  voices,  shake  beyond  sound  of  the  bell- 
wether and  feel  that  in  union  is  their  sole 
security.  I  cannot  roam  away  and  live  the  life 
I  would  live  ;  because,  if  I  attempted  to  do 
so,  strange  and  savage  enemies  would  interfere 
with  my  contemplation,  slay  me  and  rend  me 
for  their  food.  Such,  my  child,  is  life.  We 
must,  in  fact,  wear  our  coat  according  to  our 
wool,  and  accept  the  conditions  that  alone 
sustain  our  well-being,  even  if  we  dream  of 
others  better  suited  to  our  ideals." 

"  You  would  not  care  to  come  for  a  long 
and  lonely  walk  sometimes — with  me  to  pro- 
tect you  ?  "  suggested  Arcadius,  and  the  sheep 
regarded  him  humorously. 

"  A  shepherd  I  know,  and  a  shepherd's  dog 
I  know  ;   but  who  are  you  ?  "  she  asked. 

Then  she  satisfied  herself  that  a  hundred 
neighbours  were  within  call,  turned  over  and 
wooed  slumber  again. 
c  17 


PAN  AND  THE  TWINS 

Arcadius  also  felt  a  need  of  sleep.  His  eye- 
lids were  closing  over  his  wonderful  brown 
eyes,  and  Somnus  led  him  to  a  mossy  stone, 
where  he  might  repose  until  morning.  For 
the  city  gates  were  fast  shut  and  they  would 
not  open  till  the  dawn. 

With  a  prayer  of  thanksgiving  to  Pan,  he 
curled  upon  his  couch,  heaved  a  great  sigh  of 
contentment,  thought  upon  the  death  of  the 
Emperor  and  slept  until  heaven  had  grown 
white  again  above  the  Alban  Hills. 


i8 


II 

THE  FATHER  OF  ARCADIUS 

THE  magnificent  villa  of  Marcus  Pom- 
ponius  stood  on  a  southern  slope  of 
the  Sabines  in  the  midst  of  a  great 
estate.  Vanished  members  of  this  patrician 
family  had  added  to  and  adorned  the  mansion 
for  several  generations,  and  it  was  now  become 
one  of  the  most  famous  in  the  neighbourhood 
of  Rome.  The  gardens  were  noted  for  their 
superb  fountains,  but  many  a  mile  of  the  domain 
still  lay  in  the  lap  of  nature,  and  it  was  a  tradi- 
tion in  the  Pomponian  race  that  this  must  so 
remain,  at  the  wish  of  Cybele  expressed  to  the 
founder  of  the  clan  in  the  Augustan  age. 

Marcus  Pomponius  was  a  mild  and  intelli- 
gent Roman  of  no  distinction  whatever.  He 
inclined  to  art  and  literature — was  indeed  him- 
self said  to  be  writing  a  book,  which  he  found 
a  very  present  help  in  time  of  trouble  ;    and, 

19 


PAN  AND  THE  TWINS 

for  the  rest,  lived  as  quietly  as  circumstance 
allowed  and  mingled  but  little  in  the  social 
festivities  or  civic  life  of  the  capital.  He  gave 
a  dozen  banquets  of  state  during  the  year,  and 
had  once  entertained  Julian  himself. 

After  the  sad  aifair  v^^ith  the  mother  of  the 
twins,  he  married,  that  the  Pomponian  name 
might  be  carried  forward  ;  but  children  did 
not  bless  the  alliance,  and  as  a  result  Placidia, 
his  wife,  fell  back  whole-heartedly  upon  re- 
ligion. She  was  a  Christian,  and  in  those 
days  a  cool  logic,  won  from  Greece,  made  it 
possible  for  husband  and  wife  to  worship 
different  deities  without  grief  or  pain  to  either. 
Thus  Marcus  spent  much  time  in  the  noble 
temple  to  Rhea-Cybele  that  adorned  his  chest- 
nut wood,  while  Placidia  prayed  elsewhere  with 
the  early  Christians  and  drove  once  a  month  to 
Rome,  that  she  might  worship  with  her  co- 
religionists at  this  or  that  basilica.  Latona, 
the  mother  of  Marcus,  shared  his  opinions  and 
prayed  to  his  goddess. 

Mother  and  wife  adored  the  undistinguished 
man  ;   both  loved  every  hair  on  his  head  ;   and 

20 


THE  FATHER  OF  ARCADIUS 

both,  out  of  their  deep  but  unimaginative 
affection,  had  already  turned  every  hair  grey. 
Between  them  Marcus  found  life  to  be  diffi- 
cult, and  he  was  often  needlessly  let  and 
hindered.  When  friends  desired  him  to  travel 
and  set  forth  on  adventures,  he  would  say  that 
he  had  enough  of  adventure  at  home.  Both 
ladies  knew  that  he  was  delicate  and  needed 
care  ;  but  they  differed  radically  as  to  treat- 
ment. His  mother  coddled  him  in  her  old- 
fashioned  way ;  his  wife  was  always  urging 
him  to  take  more  fresh  air,  more  exercise  and 
less  stimulant.  He  liked  them  both,  and  ad- 
mired their  high  Roman  qualities,  their  dignity 
and  their  sense  of  what  became  them  and  him- 
self ;  but  he  had  long  ceased  to  love  either  of 
them,  save  academically.  They  did  not  under- 
stand him,  or  the  slight  beauty  of  mind  that 
belonged  to  him.  Instead,  his  mother  urged 
him  to  set  a  higher  standard  of  form  and  cere- 
mony and  take  himself  and  his  exalted  position 
more  seriously  ;  while  his  wife  was  ambitious 
and  constantly  urged  him  to  abandon  his 
secluded  habits  and  seek  place  and  power,  as 

21 


PAN  AND  7HE  TWINS 

befitted  his  high  rank,  great  riches  and  famous 
ancestry.  He  fell  back  on  his  health,  which  in 
reality  began  to  be  far  more  precarious  than 
anybody  imagined.  His  temperament  was 
lymphatic  and  his  vitality  low  ;  whereas  his 
mother  enjoyed  a  fulness  of  life  much  greater 
than  her  age  of  five-and-sixty  years,  and  his 
spouse,  Placidia,  had  been  wrongly  named,  for 
a  more  energetic,  bustling,  tireless  woman 
never  lived.  She  was  thin  and  wiry ;  her 
beauty  faded  quicklier  than  she  imagined,  and 
her  rather  stern,  amber-coloured  eyes  seemed 
too  large  for  her  face.  She  wore  her  wonderful 
fair  hair  in  a  fillet,  above  which  it  towered  to 
a  top-knot.  It  was  of  a  hard  brilliance,  and 
looked  more  like  metal  than  hair.  Her  voice 
was  also  metallic.  She  suggested  a  brilliant 
but  songless  bird. 

Latona  presented  an  extreme  contrast  to  her 
daughter-in-law.  Her  proportions  were  most 
generous,  her  gestures  sculpturesque,  her  move- 
ments slow  and  dignified.  She  dyed  her  hair, 
and  time  had  not  abated  the  deep  and  gong- 
like throb  of  her  majestic  voice.     She  spoke 

22 


THE  FATHER  OF  ARCADIUS 

slowly,  as  a  big  bell  rings  slowly.  Her  carriage 
was  exceedingly  august,  and  she  lacked  humour 
or  any  interest  in  anything  small. 

Marcus  Pomponius  was  too  thin  and  always 
felt  chilly  in  consequence.  He  suffered  from  in- 
digestion and  often  endured  a  twinge  of  gout, 
which  made  him  testy  for  the  time  ;  but  when 
it  was  past,  he  begged  everybody,  down  to  the 
least  slave,  for  forgiveness.  He  would  chat 
familiarly  with  the  domestics,  which  caused  his 
mother  discomfort,  and  she  regarded  with  in- 
creasing uneasiness  a  democratic  taint  that  ap- 
peared in  the  mind  of  Marcus  as  he  grew  older. 

Now  he  walked  his  magnificent  atrium 
among  bronze  and  marble  statues  of  great 
ancestors,  and  wondered  whether  a  sense  of 
tightness  about  the  midriff  was  an  incipient 
cold,  or  merely  the  result  of  too  much  tunny 
with  his  morning  repast. 

"  I  have  observed  before  that  tunny  goes 
ill  with   white   wine,    and   I    ought   to   have 
remembered  it,"  he  said  to  himself.     "  Now 
I  shall  not  enjoy  my  prandium."^ 
^  Prandium,  luncheon. 

23 


PAN  AND  THE  TWINS 

Then  came  old  Brutus,  his  factotum,  and 
saluted  the  master. 

"  There  is  a  ragged  herd-boy  at  the  outer 
gate,  who  begs  for  speech  with  you,  Marcus 
Pomponius,"  said  the  ancient  man. 

"  A  herd-boy — speech  with  me — how 
strange  !  "  answered  Marcus  mildly. 

"  He  appears  to  be  well  favoured  and  civil 
spoken ;  he  declares  that  you  would  not 
willingly  turn  him  away." 

"  Life  is  full  of  puzzles,  Brutus.  Here  am 
I  reflecting  on  deep  matters  and  the  fate  of 
our  Emperor  in  the  Assyrian  plains,  and  you 
fall  bluntly,  brutally  upon  my  reverie  with  the 
fantastic  news  that  a  herd- boy  would  have 
audience." 

"  I'll  send  him  packing,  Marcus  Pomponius." 

"  Nay,  bid  him  enter.  I  will  see  him.  Im- 
portant things  often  have  their  beginnings  in 
this  unpretentious  way.  Doubtless  he  is  the 
messenger  of  a  greater  than  himself." 

"  Shall  I  bid  him  to  the  bath  before  he 
approaches  ?  " 

"  No,  let  him  come  as  he  is ;   and  talking  of 

H 


THE  FATHER  OF  ARCADIUS 

baths,  I  fear  I  dallied  in  mine  too  long,  Brutus. 
My  heart  is  tired  this  morning." 

"  You  will  take  it  too  hot,  Marcus  Pom- 
pcnius." 

The  retainer  withdrew  and  in  two  minutes 
Arcadius  stood  before  his  father. 

He  had  slept  at  a  stony  cave  in  the  woods 
after  his  journey  from  Rome  and  washed  his 
face  and  hair  in  a  rivulet  before  approaching 
the  mansion.  He  was  looking  exceedingly 
beautiful  and  radiant,  but  ragged. 

"  What  would  you  with  me,  boy  ?  "  asked 
Marcus  kindly.  Then  his  eyes  fell  on  the 
countenance  of  Arcadius  and  he  gave  a  gentle 
start. 

*'  You  remind  me  of  somebody,"  he  said. 
"  I  have  an  amazing  memory  for  faces,  though 
often  fail  to  put  a  name  to  them.  Be  silent 
and  let  me  reflect." 

The  lad  stood  still  awhile  ;  then  Marcus 
scanned  his  features  and  shook  his  head. 

"  I  cannot  bring  you  to  my  mind,"  he  de- 
clared. Whereupon  Arcadius  told  his  tale  and 
the  other  remembered. 

25 


PAN  AND  THE  TWINS 

"  By  Jupiter  !  This  is  no  lie — you  are  like 
her — it  was  she — my  tender  treasure — my 
Aurelia.  There  can  be  no  doubt  whatever 
that  you  are  her  son  !  " 

Marcus  was  much  moved. 

He  sat  down  at  the  base  of  the  statue  o£ 
Titus  Atticus  Pomponius,his  great-grandfather, 
who  had  done  important  things  in  Africa,  and 
shed  a  few  tears. 

"  God  Pan  sent  me,"  said  his  child. 

"  Praise  be  to  him  then.  This  is  undoubtedly 
the  most  important  thing  which  has  happened 
in  my  family  for  many  years.  This  day  of  July 
is  sacred  for  evermore.  But  you  had  a  brother  ? 
What  of  him  ?  " 

"  He  is  a  Christian,  and  Pan  says  that  we 
shall  some  day  meet  again,"  answered  the 
lad. 

"  Henceforth,  Arcadius,  regard  this  as  your 
home,"  began  the  elder.  "  I  am  determined 
on  it.  Nothing  shall  shake  me.  One  must 
have  one's  own  way  sometimes.  I  seldom 
insist ;  but  this  is  a  case  when  my  will  must 
become  law.     Let   me  look  into  your   eyes. 

26 


THE  FATHER   OF  ARCADIUS 

Dear  gods !    Your  mother  lives  again  in  them. 
Have  you  eaten  any  breakfast  ?  " 

"  No,  Master." 

"  You  have  my  permission  to  address  me  as 
'  Father,'  "  said  Marcus  Pomponius,  and  the 
MTord  moved  him  again.  Then  he  Ufted  his 
voice  and  summoned  Brutus. 

"  Take  this  lad  and  feed  him  of  the  best,"  he 
said,  "  then  despatch  Porphyrio  for  the  tailor, 
and  see  that  the  sleeping  apartment  next  my 
own  is  prepared.  Brutus,  old  friend,  this  is 
my  ow^n  boy,  the  child  of — you  understand." 

Nothing  ever  surprised  Brutus ;  but  Pla- 
cidia  was  more  easily  astonished,  and  when 
presently  she  hastened  through  the  atrium  on 
her  way  to  the  store-house  and  heard  this 
amazing  news,  she  showed  an  inclination  to 
disbelieve  it. 

"  Moonshine,"  said  Placidia,  "  some  rustic 
plot  against  us." 

"  It  is  true,  great  lady,"  answered  the  boy, 
"  and  to  show  you  that  I  tell  truth,  God  Pan 
has  divulged  to  me  a  sad  secret  not  yet  known 
in  Rome." 

27 


PAN  AND  THE  TWINS 

"  Pan  !    You  are  a  pagan,  then  ?  " 

"  He  was  in  the  Campagna  the  night  before 
last ;  he  healed  my  bruises  and  sent  me  to  my 
father." 

Placidia  showed  impatience. 

"  What  next  ?  "  she  asked  her  husband. 

"  There  can  be  no  doubt,"  he  answered 
firmly.  "  His  mother — you  recollect — I  have 
an  unfaltering  memory  for  faces." 

Placidia  cast  a  look  of  something  akin  to 
annoyance  at  the  handsome  lad. 

"  Juhan  is  dead,"  declared  Arcadius.  "  The 
Emperor  has  fallen  beyond  the  Tigris.  Pan 
knew  it  and  told  me." 

"  If  that,  indeed,  be  true,  I  can  forgive  a 
great  deal,"  answered  Placidia.  "  If  that  be 
true,  let  the  idolaters  look  to  themselves  !  " 

She  lifted  a  triumphant  glance  upward  and 
went  her  way,  while  the  eyes  and  thoughts 
of  Marcus  were  cast  down. 

"  Sorry  news  for  Cybele,"  he  murmured. 

"  It  is  true,  most  noble  father." 

"  I  believe  you,  my  son.  Did  Pan  name  the 
Emperor  to  be  ?  " 

28 


THE  FATHER  OF  ARCADIUS 

"  He  did  not." 


Latona,  when  introduced  to  her  grand- 
child, regarded  him  with  mingled  f  eehngs.  He 
was  concealed  from  her  until  clad  in  rich 
garments,  anointed  with  perfumes  and  polished 
up  generally.  She  could  not  fail  to  admire  his 
extraordinary  beauty,  and  she  perceived  a 
likeness  to  her  own  husband,  the  grandfather 
of  Arcadius,  which  was  hidden  from  the  eyes 
of  her  son.  Decorum  and  propriety  suggested 
indifference  ;  but  everything  that  was  precious 
to  Marcus  interested  his  mother,  even  though 
she  might  not  understand  it,  and  at  sight  of 
his  joy  and  excitement  over  this  remarkable 
adventure,  Latona  had  not  the  heart  to  say 
much. 

"  He  must  be  apprenticed  to  one  of  the 
guilds,"  she  suggested.  But  then  Marcus 
struck,  with  all  the  obstinacy  of  a  gentle  nature, 
and  both  his  parent  and  his  wife  perceived 
that,  for  once,  without  any  question  whatever, 
he  was  going  to  be  master  in  his  own  house. 

29 


PAN  AND  THE   TWINS 

From  the  first  he  developed  the  quintessence 
of  fatherly  devotion.  A  nature  naturally  affec- 
tionate, which  of  late  years  had  found  little  on 
which  to  lavish  its  rich  emotional,  not  to  say 
sentimental,  quality,  promptly  bubbled  over 
for  Arcadius.  Masters  were  engaged  to  in- 
struct him  in  elocution,  rhetoric,  deportment 
and  all  the  arts  and  sciences.  He  was  received 
into  the  family  as  a  member  thereof  ;  and  it 
said  a  great  deal  for  the  lad's  native  charm, 
good  sense  and  good  nature  that  a  position 
which  promised  to  be  exceedingly  com- 
plicated brought  no  real  discomfort  for  any- 
body concerned. 

Placidia  perceived  that  Arcadius  was  a  youth 
of  agreeable  presence  and  high  principle ; 
Latona  observed  that  the  boy  did  his  father 
much  practical  good — took  Marcus  out  of 
himself,  gave  him  something  to  think  about, 
added  to  his  joy  of  life  and  made  him  far  less 
self-centred  and  solitary.  Placidia,  much 
heartened  in  secret  by  learning  the  new  Em- 
peror, Jovian,  was  a  Christian,  endured  the 
addition   to  the  family  circle,   and  privately 

30 


7HE  FATHER   OF  JRCJDIUS 

designed  to  win  Arcadius  to  the  true  faith  ; 
Latona,  discovering  that  the  boy  spoke  with 
Pan  and  was,  indeed,  to  keep  an  appointment 
with  the  god  in  six  months,  regarded  him  as 
an  object  of  some  reverence.  With  her  son 
she  shared  the  utmost  uneasiness  as  to  the 
future  of  reUgion  ;  and  the  fact  that  Pan  had 
expressed  gloomy  forebodings  on  the  same 
subject,  as  Arcadius  related,  much  troubled 
both  Marcus  and  the  Roman  matron. 

Patrician  tact  and  courtesy  should  have 
prompted  Placidia  to  conceal  her  own  re- 
ligious gratification.  But  she  openly  hoped 
the  Emperor  might  take  a  high  hand  in  this 
matter,  and  she  was  disappointed  when  the 
worldly  wisdom  of  Jovian  prompted  him  to 
a  moderate  course.  Aifairs  were  doubtful 
and  dangerous  when  Julian  passed,  and  the 
new  Emperor  found  his  hands  too  full  to  raise 
for  himself  any  needless  difficulty. 

To  Antioch  came  the  opposing  champions 
of  the  new  faith  in  myriads ;  but  they  found 
a  war- weary  ruler  who,  declining  to  take 
either  side,  urged  concord  and  charity  on  all. 

31 


PAN  AND  "THE  TWINS 

Himself  he  professed  and  declared  devotion  to 
the  Nicene  creed,  and  bid  Athanasius  reappear 
from  the  fastnesses  whither  he  had  withdrawn 
for  safety  under  Julian's  brief  rule. 

The  saint  assured  his  monarch  that  a  long 
and  peaceful  reign  would  reward  such  piety  ; 
but  alas  !  within  a  year  the  jovial  Jovian  ate 
a  doubtful  mushroom  and  slept  with  his 
fathers. 

What  says  Neander  upon  the  situation  that 
he  had  created  ?  He  quotes  with  the  approval 
of  all  just  persons  the  golden  words  of  that 
moderate  Pagan,  Themistius,  and  we  venture 
to  set  them  here  before  leaving  so  serious  a 
subject.  Thus  he  spoke  to  his  sovereign  ;  and 
the  echo  of  his  wisdom  reverberated  a  little 
while  before  it  was  silenced. 

"  The  laws  of  emperors  run  scarcely  longer 
than  their  lives,"  declared  Themistius,  "  but 
the  law  of  God  remains  for  ever  unchangeable 
— that  every  man  shall  be  free  in  reference  to 
his  own  mode  of  worship.  This  law,  no  pillage 
of  goods,  no  death  on  the  cross,  or  at  the 
stake,  can  extinguish.    You  may  kill  the  body, 

32 


THE  FATHER  OF  ARCADIUS 

but  though  the  tongue  shall  be  silenced,  the 
soul  rises  to  carry  with  it  its  own  unconquerable 
will." 

Such  sentiments  and  such  freedom,  for- 
gotten for  near  two  thousand  years,  are 
beginning  again  to  be  remembered. 


Arcadius  kept  punctual  appointment  with 
his  god,  and  Pan  smiled  upon  him  and  observed 
that  he  had  grown.  He  promised  indeed  to 
make  a  splendid  man  ;  but  there  was  already 
in  his  expression  that  cast  of  thought  too  apt 
to  develop,  where  there  is  a  brain,  and  ruin 
the  human  animal  prematurely. 

"  Are  you  as  happy  as  when  I  healed  your 
stripes,  my  son  ?  "  asked  the  deity,  and 
Arcadius  answered  in  words  that  already  re- 
vealed a  metaphysical  nature. 

"  Happiness  is  never  quite  pure.  Mighty 
Father,"  he  answered.  "  When  you  healed 
me,  the  happiness  of  being  healed  was  most 
perfect  and  complete  ;    but  it  wore  off." 

"  Custom  is  fatal  to  happiness,"  said  Pan. 

D  33 


PAN  AND  1HE  TWINS 

"  You  can  never  be  happy  twice  in  exactly  the 


same  manner," 


"  Happiness  perhaps  exhausts  itself,"  sug- 
gested Arcadius.  "  Then  it  is  pain.  I  should 
be  happy — I  am  happy  now — chappy  in  learn- 
ing— happy  in  bathing,  in  eating,  in  wandering 
through  my  father's  woods.  Above  all,  I  am 
happy  in  my  father  himself  ;  and  yet  from  my 
dear  father  himself  comes  unhappiness." 

"  Happiness  is  a  butterfly  that  never  settles," 
answered  Pan.  "  You  have  won  great  joy  for 
your  father,  and  yet,  out  of  him  and  by  virtue 
of  your  sonship  with  him,  has  come  a  new 
unhappiness." 

"  I  am  unhappy  because  he  is  unhappy," 
explained  Arcadius.  "  He  does  not  say  so,  yet 
I  am  quick  to  see  that  from  the  great  love  they 
feel  for  him,  his  wife  and  my  grandmother 
cause  him  to  be  a  good  deal  distracted.  They 
love  him  very  much  indeed,  but  they  love  him 
differently,  and  each  thinks  that  the  other  loves 
him  in  a  mistaken  manner.  Thus  they  argue  over 
him  and  often  make  a  good  deal  of  noise.  Then 
each  comes  to  seek  his  support  against  the  other. 

34 


THE  FATHER   OF  ARCADIUS 

But  he  is  a  man  of  peace,  and  finds  himself 
very  often  called  to  rush  away  to  Rhea-Cybele 
in  his  garden  and  kneel  to  the  goddess,  having 
first  locked  the  door  of  her  temple.  All  this 
is  sad." 

"  I  know,"  answered  the  god.  "  Thus,  out 
of  your  great  and  glorious  translation  has  come 
suffering,  which  as  a  fatherless  slave  you  had 
escaped.  This  is  the  very  principle  and  heart 
of  all  happiness :  it  is  a  bud  which  ever  carries 
within  its  scented  petals  a  little  worm.  All 
happiness,  save  one  happiness,  is  constituted 
thus." 

"  Indeed  no,  dear  God  !  "  cried  Arcadius. 
"  I  can  think  of  many  happinesses  that  would 
breed  no  worm  to  tatter  them.  When  I  am 
wise  I  shall  learn  how  to  reach  perfect  happi- 
ness. But  even  in  learning  what  is  happiness, 
there  is  sorrow  too." 

"  How  so  ?  "  inquired  Pan. 

"  When  I  was  all  fool,"  answered  his  little 
one,  "  then  I  escaped  the  sad  knowledge  of  my 
folly ;  now  that  I  am  beginning  to  be  taught 
wisdom,  I  shed  tears  to  think  what  a  fool  I  am. 

35 


PAN  AND  THE  TWINS 

It  is  a  strange  and  sad  fact  about  learning  that 
the  more  I  glean,  the  vaster  remains  the  store 
yet  to  be  gleaned." 

"  Even  so,"  admitted  Pan.  "  Learning  is  a 
hoard  from  which  the  greater  your  filchings 
the  mightier  appears  to  be  the  mass.  But  let 
this  not  make  you  unhappy.  You  have  some 
talent  and  a  cheerful  disposition.  Learning, 
rightly  digested,  will  make  of  you  an  optimist  ; 
if  it  curdle  in  the  stomach,  as  so  often  happens, 
then  you  will  be  a  pessimist  and  a  sterile  thing. 
Therefore  do  not  sigh,  as  the  avenues  and  de- 
files of  your  ignorance  yawn  wider  and  wider 
before  you,  but  go  forward  in  patience, 
remembering  that  to  know  yourself  for  a  fool 
is  the  first  step  to  wisdom.  Lighten  your 
father's  heart,  do  his  will  and  please  the  ladies 
with  your  singing  and  good  cheer.  To  be 
young  is  a  great  accomplishment  in  itself,  and 
the  boy  who  can  help  his  elders  to  feel  young 
again  is  doing  well  and  justifying  his  existence. 
Most  boys  only  succeed  in  making  their  elders 
feel  still  more  old.  Avoid  this.  And  remember 
that  for  you  are  open  channels  into  wisdom 

36 


1HE  FATHER  OF  ARCADIUS 

denied  your  fellow-boys.  That  was  my  gift  : 
that  you  should  gather  from  the  bird  and  beast 
a  measure  of  understanding  they  have  won  in 
a  harder  school  than  yours  and  from  stricter 
taskmasters  than  rap  your  knuckles  with  their 
rulers." 

"  I  do  talk  to  the  things,"  said  Arcadius. 
"  But  they  are  so  simple.  I  asked  a  nightingale 
why  it  sang  yesternight,  and  all  it  answered 
was,  '  Because  I'm  a  nightingale.'  " 

"  The  deepest  knowledge  is  the  simplest," 
declared  Pan.  "  Know  you  how  some  men 
learned  the  use  of  the  wheel  and  so  promoted 
their  powers  of  locomotion  a  thousandfold  ? 
In  the  beginning  of  days  a  savage  with  genius 
perceived  the  wind  blowing  an  empty  shell 
over  the  sand,  and  he  observed  that  the  shell 
sped  faster  than  all  other  things  driven  by  the 
gale.  By  a  miracle  of  intuition  he  perceived 
that  this  gift  lay  not  in  the  shell  but  its  quaUty 
of  roundness.  Hence  a  discovery  as  great  as 
any  recorded.  Another  savage  in  another  land 
perceived  that  the  sun  and  moon  made  won- 
drous haste  through  heaven,  and  judged  that 

37 


a6135G 


PAN  AND  THE  "TWINS 

in  their  rotundity  lay  the  secret  of  their  speed. 
He  fashioned  a  moon  of  wood  therefore  and 
marked  how  it  flew  over  the  green  grass.  Then, 
fitting  two  moons  to  his  sledge,  he  astounded 
his  kinsfolk  and  immediately  became  a  god. 
Many  gods  have  done  far  less  for  man  than 
that." 

Thus  Pan  beguiled  a  twilight  hour,  and  then 
Arcadius  knelt  and  kissed  his  hoof,  promised 
to  visit  him  again  when  he  should  receive  a 
direction  to  do  so,  and  went  home. 


38 


Ill 

OF  EMPEROR  FJLENTINUN 

A  RCADIUS  found  that  his  father 
/  %  constantly  stole  away  from  the  sharp 
JL  .Ml.  edge  of  family  discussions  to  the  book 
that  he  was  writing  ;  and  this  in  time  became 
a  sort  of  watchword  or  warning  between  the 
boy  and  his  parent.  Thus  Arcadius  would 
sometimes  leave  Placidia  and  Latona  in  the 
heat  of  fierce  altercations  for  love  of  Marcus, 
intercept  his  parent  and  whisper,  "  I  should 
do  a  bit  of  my  book  this  morning,  father." 
Whereupon  Marcus  would  vanish  and  escape 
the  argument ;  while  at  other  times  Marcus 
himself,  struggHng  with  difficulty  from  the 
fires  of  feminine  affection,  might  meet  Arcadius 
and  say,  with  all  due  solemnity,  "  I  shall  be 
about  my  book  till  vesperna,i  ^y  son." 

The  boy  made  good  progress   at  his   own 
1  Vesperna,  the  evening  raeal. 

39 


PAN  AND  THE  TWINS 

studies  and  proved  a  promising  student.  He 
desired  before  all  things  to  read,  that  he  might 
understand  the  poets  of  whom  Marcus  so 
often  spoke.  He  was  industrious,  yet  spent  a 
measure  of  his  time  on  the  hillside  and  learned 
much  from  the  birds  and  beasts.  Nor  did  the 
reptiles  deny  him.  The  lizards  were  a  simple 
people,  and  their  ideals  seemed  ill-adapted  to 
a  human  boy  in  the  fortunate  position  of  Arca- 
dius ;  but  the  serpent  stored  wisdom  for  her 
friends  as  well  as  poison  for  her  enemies. 

When  Arcadius  met  this  creature,  she  had 
just  reheved  herself  of  her  old  skin  and  shone 
very  beautifully  in  oHve,  gold  and  russet- 
brown.  She  was  not  without  her  vanity ; 
therefore  she  crept  to  the  mirror  of  a  still 
pool,  that  she  might  view  the  bands  and 
diamonds  of  her  new  gown.  And  on  the  thorn 
tree,  hke  a  wisp  of  spun  glass,  her  cast-off 
garment  hung. 

The  boy  congratulated  the  snake  on  her 
appearance,  and  in  her  didactic  fashion  she 
pointed  a  moral  for  him. 

"  Always  remember,"  she  said,  "  that  even 

40 


OF  EMPEROR  FALENTINUN 

thorns  are  useful  things.  You  perceive  how 
they  assisted  me  to  wriggle  from  my  outworn 
robe ;  and  prickles,  such  as  philosophers 
provide,  serve  well  to  help  the  discarding  of 
those  worthless  garments  in  which  we  are  too 
wont  to  dress  our  minds.  I  refer  to  prejudice, 
error,  stupid  opinions  and  such-like.  But  the 
stern  philosophers  use  their  thorns  without 
thought  of  their  bitter  sharpness  ;  only  the 
artist  hides  his  dagger  in  beauty,  as  do  the 
fragrant  furzes.  His  thorns  you  must  for- 
give. 

"  I  am  learning  to  read  as  fast  as  I  can," 
declared  Arcadius. 

The  serpent  trickled  away,  to  show  herself 
to  one  who  loved  her,  and  the  boy  rambling  on 
met  a  carrion  crow,  who  was  walking  up  and 
down  in  evident  excitement.  He  nodded  his 
head  to  himself  and  appeared  well  satisfied 
with  life. 

"  You  look  pleased,  carrion  crow,"  said 
Arcadius. 

"  I  am,"  said  the  carrion  crow.  "  I  have 
every  reason  to  be." 

41 


PAN  AND  THE  TWINS 

"  Then  I  am  pleased  also,"  answered  the 
boy.    "  What's  the  luck  ?  " 

But  the  dark  bird  showed  suspicion. 

"  It's  my  luck,  not  yours,"  he  answered. 
"  I've  found  a  deer  that  will  be  dead  to- 
morrow ;  but  I'm  not  going  to  tell  you  where 
he  is." 

"  I  don't  want  to  know — unless  I  can  make 
him  well,"  answered  Arcadius. 

"  There's  no  question  of  recovery,"  replied 
the  carrion  crow.  "  And  you  needn't  ask  for 
particulars,  because  I'm  going  to  peck  out  his 
eyes  when  he's  gone,  not  you.  Finding  is 
keeping  in  a  case  of  this  sort." 

"  Poor  deer,"  answered  Arcadius,  and  he 
felt  dislike  against  the  soot-coloured  speaker 
because  his  habits  were  rude.  And  yet  he 
learned  something,  for  when  men  and  women 
in  days  to  come  were  sly  and  hid  from  him 
silly  little  secrets,  which  he  had  no  desire  to 
learn,  he  remembered  the  carrion  bird. 

Arcadius  proved  a  very  great  joy  to  his 
father.  Indeed  Marcus  Pomponius,  from  a  sort 
of  twilight  life  which  he  cared  not  how  soon 

42 


OF  EMPEROR  VALENTINIAN 

would  darken  into  night,  found  life  to  be  worth 
living  again  and  was  never  half  so  happy  as  in 
the  company  of  his  son. 

The  hoy  reflected  Marcus  in  his  love  for 
beauty  and  peace,  and  he  resembled  his  dead 
mother  also  in  the  charm  of  his  presence  and 
avidity  for  joy. 

Together  they  would  sometimes  creep  away 
and  place  rare  blossoms  on  the  stele  of  Aurelia. 
Marcus  was  composing  a  verse  for  the  memorial, 
and  had  indeed  been  polishing  his  thought  for 
years ;  but  the  advent  of  Arcadius  caused  him 
to  begin  all  over  again. 

He  sent  messages  for  Pan,  on  the  occasion  of 
his  son's  next  visit  to  the  god,  and  also  con- 
veyed a  gift  from  the  Pomponian  kitchen, 
arranged  in  secret  with  Brutus.  Pan  accepted 
the  present  and  promised  at  a  future  date  to 
visit  Marcus  in  his  own  grounds,  at  a  spot 
where  oleanders  made  the  thicket  pink  above 
a  stream. 

Of  the  ladies,  in  process  of  time  their  first 
regard  for  Arcadius  abated  ;  and  this  from  no 
fault  of  his  own.     Latona,  though  ponderous 

43 


PAN  AND  TEE  TWINS 

and  patrician  to  a  degree,  was  o£  quick  mind, 
and  she  perceived  that  the  boy  had  done  for 
her  own  son  much  that  she  had  desired  to  do 
and  failed.  Marcus  found  his  prime  pleasure 
with  the  youth  ;  Arcadius  was  ever  upon  his 
lips  and  in  his  mind ;  for  the  lad  he  would  do 
a  thousand  things  that  Latona  had  failed  to 
make  him.  In  a  word,  she  began  to  feel  there 
was  a  Httle  too  much  Arcadius  about  the  villa. 
And  yet  to  quarrel  with  him  would  have  been 
both  unreasonable  and  beneath  her  dignity. 
But  her  maternal  love  was  wounded  and, 
according  to  custom,  she  took  it  out  of  Marcus 
Pomponius  himself. 

"  I  perceive  this  child  is  coming  between 
us,"  she  said.  "  I  sadly  miss  your  old  devotion, 
Marcus." 

She  sighed  massively. 

"  I  change  not,"  she  continued  ;  "  but  it 
is  hard  to  feel  that  my  place  can  be  taken  by 
this  bright  young  thing — untried,  unknown. 
I  hope  you  will  never  live  to  regret  it,  or  feel, 
as  you  make  me  feel,  that  the  failure  of  a  child's 
love  is  the  keenest  agony  a  parent  can  know." 

44 


OF  EMPEROR  VALEN11N1AN 

He  winced  at  this  little  stab  and  assured  her 
that  she  was  mistaken.  He  was,  in  truth,  an 
extraordinarily  good  and  faithful  son,  and  he 
racked  his  brains  after  Latona's  third  remon- 
strance and  redoubled  his  filial  attention.  But 
it  was  tiring,  and  her  reproachful  eyes  tortured 
his  sensitive  spirit ;  her  sighs  hurt  him  quite 
as  much  as  she  desired  they  should. 

Placidia  adopted  a  different  line.  The 
situation,  naturally  enough,  was  peculiarly 
painful  for  her  ;  but  she  did  not  mourn,  or 
weep  about  it.  She  took  it  cynically  and  lost 
no  opportunity  to  remind  Marcus  that  the 
debonair  youth  was  an  achievement  on  the 
wrong  side  of  the  blanket  and,  as  such,  not  to 
be  much  regarded.  Her  husband  disliked  this 
attitude  intensely.  He  would  have  preferred 
that  Placidia  should  have  viewed  the  situation 
from  his  own  angle  ;  and  in  process  of  time 
she  was  constrained  to  do  so  ;  because  upon 
this  subject,  while  pliant  as  usual  on  every 
other,  the  master  of  the  house  abated  no 
shadow  of  his  determination. 

The  Roman  law  kept  within  the  dictates  of 

45 


PAN  AND  THE  TWINS 

humanity  even  as  early  as  a.d.  364,  though  to 
this  day  there  is  a  barbaric  island  wherein  such 
little  ones  are  still  "  the  sons  of  none  " — a 
fiction  that  the  State,  the  Law,  the  Church 
continue  to  support  while  civilisation  shud- 
ders. 

It  became  exceedingly  clear  that  Arcadius 
was  destined  to  succeed  his  father  and  carry 
on  the  Pomponian  line — a  situation  that  the 
mother  of  Marcus  received  with  mingled 
emotions,  while  Placidia  hid  hers,  after  trying 
without  success  to  turn  her  husband  from  his 
purpose. 

Marcus  Pomponlus  went  to  court,  to  pay 
homage  to  Valentinian,  the  new  Emperor  of 
the  West.  He  was  a  majestic  monarch — a 
warrior,  whose  incomparable  feats  in  Africa 
and  Britain  had  won  him  the  love  of  the 
soldiery  and  a  very  handsome  fortune.  Bold 
and  wise  and  worldly  wise  proved  Valentinian. 
He  had  no  Greek,  never  finding  time  to  learn 
that  language  ;  neither  did  he  waste  his  wind 
in  rhetoric  ;  but  he  always  knew  exactly  what 
he  wanted  to  say  and  seldom  failed  to  make 

46 


OF  EMPEROR  VALEN'TINIAN 

his  meaning  nakedly  apparent.  He  distrusted 
the  pagan  gods,  but  being  too  good  a  soldier 
to  criticise  on  grounds  of  faith,  Julian  had 
employed  and  honoured  him.  Merit  raised 
Valentinian  to  the  absolute  government  of  the 
Roman  empire  at  five-and-forty  years  of  age  ; 
he  set  his  brother,  Valens,  in  the  throne  of  the 
East  and  then  applied  himself  to  his  own  task 
with  the  immense  energy,  concentration  and 
foresight  that  had  made  him  a  great  man. 

Marcus,  in  his  white  toga,  with  Arcadius  for 
page,  greeted  royalty  amid  the  patricians  and 
received  a  gracious  welcome.  He  was  naturally 
interested  in  the  religious  question  and  agree- 
ably surprised  to  learn  that,  despite  his  own 
views,  Valentinian  did  not  propose  to  tyrannise 
in  this  matter.  Against  magic  and  witchcraft, 
however,  he  set  his  face  very  strongly.  He 
believed  in  the  potency  for  evil  of  spells  and 
incantations,  and  punished  such  things  with  all 
his  might.  At  a  hint  of  sorcery  his  passions 
conquered  him  and  the  sinner  died  horribly. 
His  appetite  in  this  unfortunate  matter  grew 
by  what  it  fed  upon,  and  when  he  was  not 

47 


PAN  AND  THE  TWINS 

fighting  his  country's  enemies,  Valentinian 
pursued  a  policy  of  suspicion  and  private  per- 
secution that  caused  his  subjects  much  suffering 
and  uneasiness. 

"  In  fact  the  Emperor  would  make  a  very 
good  tiger,"  said  Arcadius,  on  one  occasion, 
when  Marcus  was  discussing  Valentinian  pri- 
vately with  his  son. 

"  And  meantime,"  answered  Marcus,  "  he 
is  a  very  good  Christian.  Ferocity  cannot  be 
denied  him,  but  neither  can  a  keen  sense  of 
justice  and  a  fair  measure  of  tolerance  for  those 
who  follow  the  old  creed  in  a  respectable  and 
orderly  manner.  To  be  master  of  the  world  is 
a  situation  which  demands  the  utmost  sym- 
pathy and  forbearance.  At  the  same  time  one 
laments  his  propensity  for  pouncing — tiger-like 
again — on  the  most  harmless  and  well-meaning 
people.  He  kills  his  subjects  needlessly — from 
the  highest  motives,  but  on  insufficient  grounds. 
His  immense  vitality  shortens  the  vitality  of  a 
great  many  other  people." 

"  Tell  me  more  about  him,"  said  Arcadius, 
who  always  loved  the  speech  of  his  father. 

48 


OF  EMPEROR  VALENTINIAN 

"  Valentinian  affords  an  amazing  example  of 
the  manner  in  which  good  and  evil  are  mixed 
in  our  human  clay,"  replied  Marcus.  "  Con- 
sider his  greatest  friends — those  who  stand 
foremost  in  the  imperial  regard.  First  there 
is  Maximin,  that  ruthless  man  of  blood,  whose 
cruelties  stain  the  age  and  who,  for  his  slaughter 
of  our  noblest  and  best,  has  won  the  Emperor's 
affection  and  the  prefecture  of  Gaul.  Next 
in  order  come  a  brace  of  hyperborean  bears. 
Oh,  melancholy  thought  that  the  annals  of  a 
great  monarch  shall  be  blotted  by  these  two 
ferocious  ministers  of  crime  !  Fierce  they  are 
and  insatiable  of  blood.  He  keeps  them  in 
cages  near  his  own  bedchamber,  and  gratifies 
his  baser  nature  with  the  spectacle  of  male- 
factors thrown  alive  into  their  horrible  em- 
braces. They  are  named  '  Innocence '  and 
*  Mica  Aurea,'  and  their  royal  master  himself 
superintends  their  diet,  their  exercise  and  their 
toilette." 

"  I  will  go   and  talk  to  '  Innocence '   and 
'  Mica   Aurea,'  "    declared   Arcadius,   but   his 
parent  forbade  him. 
E  49 


PAN  AND  THE  TWINS 

"  Even  if  you  were  permitted  to  do  so, 
grave  harm  would  result,"  he  answered.  "  You 
who  grow  to  wisdom  and  understanding  in  the 
cult  of  Pan,  might  prevail  with  these  bears 
and  temper  their  native  brutality  ;  but  rest 
assured  that  any  falling  off  in  that  particular 
must  awaken  acute  suspicion  in  the  monarch. 
He  would  at  once  smell  witchcraft — with 
results  for  yourself,  my  son,  we  need  not 
dwell  upon." 

"  I  will  not  go  and  see  '  Innocence '  and 
'  Mica  Aurea,'  "  promised  Arcadius. 

His  parent  then  proceeded  : 

"  Now  consider  the  reverse  of  the  medal 
and  learn  how  contrary  is  man's  nature.  This 
same  Valentinian,  who  loves  Maximin  and 
sleeps  within  sound  of  the  growl  of  his  bears 
and  the  howls  of  their  unhappy  victims,  has 
done — what  ?  He  has  condemned  and  for- 
bidden the  exposing  of  new-born  infants — a 
practice  I  have  long  deplored.  He  has  estab- 
lished fourteen  skilful  public  surgeons  and 
physicians  in  the  fourteen  quarters  of  Rome. 
He,  knowing  his  own  lack  of  education,  has 

50 


OF  EMPEROR  VALENTINIAN 

promoted  with  liberality  the  instruction  of 
our  youth.  He  smiles  upon  professors  as  well 
as  bears,  though,  for  that  matter,  professors 
themselves  are  often  bears  enough.  These  dis- 
pensations extend  to  the  Provinces  also,  and 
there  is  a  joyful  though  tremulous  stir  among 
the  learned.  Long  may  it  last  !  And  finally — 
an  everlasting  honour — he  declines  all  theo- 
logical debate.  He  declares  himself  the 
sovereign,  not  the  slave,  or  shuttlecock,  of  his 
clergy.  Pagan,  Jew,  Gentile — in  fact  every- 
body— is  permitted  to  save  his  soul  in  his  own 
way.  He  is  exceedingly — many  will  say  dan- 
gerously— large-minded,  and  has  actually  sanc- 
tioned the  Eleusinian  mysteries  to  the  Greeks. 
Even  I  have  always  felt  a  little  qualm  about 
the  Eleusinian  mysteries.  But  then  I  do  not 
love  the  Greeks  and  never  did.  If  Valens  can 
keep  the  religious  factions  as  happy  in  the  East, 
it  will  be  good  news.  I  doubt  his  power,  how- 
ever. There  is  already  a  spice  of  persecution  in 
the  Christians  of  the  East,  and  one  hears  of 
unpleasant  self-assertion  among  the  Arian  pre- 
lates.    At  Alexandria  and  Constantinople  the 

51 


PAN  AND  THE  TWINS 

Arians  force  their  Sacrament  down  the  throat 
while  the  mouth  is  held  open  with  pincers ; 
the  breasts  of  women  are  crushed  with  leaden 
weights  and  branded  with  red-hot  iron  to  the 
glory  of  God  ;  in  the  Church  of  the  H0I7 
Apostles  the  Arians  and  the  Orthodox  have 
fought  so  horribly  that  their  blood  has  flowed 
in  a  torrent  down  the  steps  of  the  western 
fagade  into  the  market  square.  And  one 
Sebastian  at  Alexandria  has  caused  virgins  to 
be  beaten  with  thorn  branches  till  many 
perished.  This  battle  is  over  a  simple  letter, 
an  iota.  They  embrace  the  divinity  of  the 
Holy  Ghost  and  much  resent  the  attitude 
of  other  princes  of  the  new  Church,  who 
decline  to  do  so.  The  Arians  have  baptised 
Valens,  however,  and  that  should  determine 
the  matter  in  their  favour." 

Then  a  fit  of  coughing  checked  the  flow  of 
his  discourse.  Arcadius  brought  his  father 
fruit  and  patted  him  on  the  back,  so  that 
presently  the  elder  caught  his  breath  again, 

"  And  should  you  think  Valentinian  was  a 
happy  Emperor  ?  "  asked  the  boy. 

52 


OF  EMPEROR  VALENTINIAN 

"  He  is  happy  in  his  duties,  my  son  ;  but  ex- 
ceedingly unhappy  in  his  recreations,"  answered 
Marcus  Pomponius.  "  People  have  an  idea 
that  if  they  do  their  duty,  happiness  will  follow 
as  a  matter  of  course.  But  this  is  not  so. 
Valentinian  knows  it  and  seeks  happiness  with 
his  bears,  '  Innocence  '  and  '  Grain  of  Gold.' 
He  is  a  very  great  man  undoubtedly,  but  not 
great  enough  to  abandon  the  myth  of  happi- 
ness. Yet  only  youthful  or  second-rate  minds 
pursue  this  false  fire,  and  when  we  see  middle- 
aged  folk  trotting  industriously  and  even  hope- 
fully after  happiness,  we  appraise  their  parts 
and  put  them  in  their  places.  The  adult  sheep 
no  longer  dances  on  the  pasture,  and  the  calf, 
not  the  cow,  gambols  with  its  four  legs  in  the 
air  together.  Shall  we  be  less  intelligent  than 
they  ?  " 


53 


IV 

GLOOM 

MARCUS  POMPONIUS  kept  his 
household  gods  in  the  temple  of 
Rhea-Cybele.  They  had  stood  of 
old  within  the  atrium,  but  Placidia  did  not 
much  like  them  there,  and  at  a  time  when 
they  had  been  married  but  a  few  months,  to 
please  his  wife  was  easier  for  Marcus  than 
now.  Therefore  the  Lar — a  bronze  statue  to 
Tiberius  Pomponius,  the  founder  of  the  clan 
— and  the  Penates — two  gracious  but  archaic 
figures  of  red  granite,  bearing  garlands — were 
all  removed.  And  now  they  would  be  moved 
again,  for  the  father  of  Arcadius  had  built  a 
new  and  fair  house  of  white  marble  and  cedar, 
richly  adorned  and  dedicated  to  Pan.  He  knew 
that  his  son  must  worship  here,  and  learning 
from  Valentinian  himself  that  there  was  no 
objection,    raised   this   beautiful   temple   and 

54 


GLOOM 

transferred  the  household  gods  thereto,  that 
they  might  be  under  the  eye  of  Arcadius  in 
years  to  come.  Pan  himself  consented  to  visit 
the  dwelling  raised  in  his  honour. 

At  dusk,  when  the  great  night  moths  were 
sucking  honey  from  the  garlands,  he  came, 
sat  with  Arcadius  and  his  father  for  an  hour 
and  ate  some  of  the  yellow  figs  for  which  the 
fruit  gardens  of  Pomponius  were  famed. 

Pan  praised  his  temple  and  approved  the 
piety  that  had  raised  so  beautiful  a  monument. 

"  It  may  interest  you  to  learn,"  he  said, 
"  that  this  is  the  last  sanctuary  made  by  the 
hands  of  man  that  will  ever  be  erected  to  me. 
Other  temples  I  shall  continue  to  have  ;  but 
here  is  the  final  memorial  to  be  lifted  by  the 
purpose  of  devout  mankind." 

He  spoke  with  that  directness  and  lucidity 
which  is  proper  to  godhead.  Indeed  when 
discussing  Marcus  to  his  face,  Pan  caused  him 
some  uneasiness,  for  the  good  soul,  while  he 
knew  the  truth  of  what  he  heard,  had  covered 
up  these  facts  with  the  decency  of  a  patrician, 
who  likes  not  to  wash  his  dirty  linen  in  public 

55 


PAN  AND  THE  TWINS 

company,  or  even  in  private  thought.  His 
position  he  accepted  and  merely  hoped  that 
other  people  were  not  so  much  alive  to  it  as 
himself.    But  Pan  spoke  forthrightly. 

"  You  must  not  expect  to  live  much  longer, 
Marcus  Pomponius,"  he  said.  "  Your  vitality 
was  somewhat  low  from  the  beginning,  and 
you  have  been  hen-pecked  and  mother-ridden 
for  fifteen  years.  The  ladies,  who  love  you 
so  well,  both  enjoy  a  superb  fulness  of  life,  and 
between  the  upper  and  nether  millstones  of 
their  devotion  your  attrition  is  nearly  complete. 
The  idolatry  of  your  mother  and  the  worship 
of  your  wife  have,  in  fact,  added  twenty  years 
to  your  existence.  In  a  measure  the  fault  is 
your  own.  Latona  should  have  gone  to  the 
dower  house  when  you  wedded  ;  and  you  knew 
it  ;  but  these  things  will  be  as  they  will,  and 
you  could  not  modify  your  own  weak  disposi- 
tion, or  take  precaution  against  your  perils. 
You  have,  however,  the  satisfaction  of  knowing 
that  the  gods  will  last  your  time  ;  but  Arcadius 
must  live  to  seegrave changes.  You  havcescaped 
much.     Placidia  and  Latona  never  fought  for 

S6 


GLOOM 

your  soul.  That  might  have  happened  ;  but 
our  early  Christians  still  echo  the  tolerance 
and  patience  which  mankind  inherits  from 
philosophy.  This  will  quickly  pass  from  them 
with  access  of  power.  The  new  religion  must 
harden  into  authority  and  freeze  into  tyranny, 
for  the  strong  are  seldom  patient  or  tolerant, 
and  Christianity  will  not  long  endure  to  see 
devout  spirits  at  any  altars  but  her  own." 

"  I  would  perish  for  Rhea-Cybele,"  declared 
Marcus. 

"  You  will  not  be  invited  to  do  so,"  answered 
Pan.  "  To  die  for  a  dying  cause  wins  no  fame, 
since  there  are  none  to  applaud.  Julian  will 
be  exceedingly  unpopular  for  the  next  two 
thousand  years  or  so,  because  he  sought  to 
breathe  life  into  the  moribund." 

"  Does  it  matter  ?  "  asked  Arcadius. 

"  To  the  fame  of  Julian,  yes,"  answered 
Pan.  "  Indeed  there  are  clouds  now  forming 
to  drift  so  thickly  over  the  world  and  all  its 
accepted  heroes  and  sages  that  most  of  them 
must    entirely    disappear    for    a    considerable 


time." 


57 


PAN  AND  THE  TWINS 

"  The  heroes  disappear  !  "  gasped  Marcus 
"  Why,  the  ambition  o£  the  day  is  a  world  that 
shall  be  fit  for  our  heroes  to  live  in  !     People 
speak  of  eternal  peace  and  shutting  the  temple 
of  Janus  indefinitely." 

"  It  will  certainly  be  shut,"  answered  Pan, 
"  but  that  is  not  going  to  spell  eternal  peace 
for  the  Empire,  I  assure  you." 

"  I  hope  not,"  rephed  Marcus,  who, 
though  not  warlike,  enjoyed  to  see  the  martial 
spirit  as  displayed  by  others.  "  A  world  fit 
for  heroes  to  live  in  should  surely  never  be  a 
peaceful  world.  Not  heroes  themselves  talk 
thus,  but  the  plebeians,  whose  highest  dream  is 
security.  Security  is  no  ideal  for  the  great. 
Only  the  lowly  born  desire  it." 

"  And  why,  my  friend  ?  "  asked  Pan.  "  Be- 
cause they  have  never  known  such  a  thing. 
The  powerful  and  safe  take  their  security  as 
a  matter  of  course :  their  ideal  is  to  live  dan- 
gerously; but  the  poor,  who  do  live  danger- 
ously, because  they  can  no  other,  yearn  before 
all  else  to  be  able  to  trust  to-morrow.  And 
this  is  what  Christianity  promises  they  shall  do." 

58 


GLOOM 

The  god  turned  to  Arcadius. 

"  So  it  is  with  all  happiness — concerning 
which  you  are  so  interested.  The  criterion  of 
happiness  is  that  it  should  never  have  been 
consciously  tasted.  Therefore  man  is  seldom 
happy  in  the  present.  Looking  back  he  says, 
'  I  knew  happiness  then  and  was  unaware  '  ; 
gazing  into  the  future  he  sees  the  ghost  of 
things  to  be  and  cries,  '  I  shall  be  happy  when 
that  happens.'  It  happens,  but  brings  along 
with  it  a  score  of  other  happenings  to  cloud 
the  anticipated  sunshine." 

"  In  fact  when  you  are  really  happy,  it 
appears  that  you  don't  know  it.  Mighty  One," 
said  Arcadius. 

"  Very  often,  my  son.  Consider  the  lowly 
matter  of  perfect,  bodily  well-being — the 
highest  physical  happiness.  Who  revels  therein 
until  it  is  lost  and  memory  reminds  him  of 
perfect  digestion,  long-sighted  eyes,  dreamless 
sleep,  scorn  of  fatigue  ?  " 

"  Most  true,  dear  God,"  sighed  Marcus 
Pomponius.  "  I  impress  upon  this  boy,"  he 
continued,    "  that     happiness     is    less     than 

59 


PAN  AND  THE  TWINS 

serenity,  and  endurance  greater  than  content- 
ment. The  intelligent  man  cannot  be  con- 
tented with  things  as  they  are  ;  but  he  can 
keep  his  nerve,  seeing  that  to  lose  it  advances 
no  cause." 

"  Let  us  have  discipline  w^ithout  tears," 
answered  Pan.    "  And  now  I  must  be  going." 

He  took  his  leave  of  them  and  blessed  father 
and  son  generously  before  doing  so. 

"  Say  nothing  of  this  solemn  occasion  to 
your  stepmother,"  advised  Marcus,  when  he 
was  alone  with  his  lad.  "  It  would  give  her 
no  pleasure,  unfortunately." 

They  had  sat  long  into  the  dusk  and  a  chill 
wind  blew  through  the  pillars  of  the  temple. 
Marcus  shivered  slightly,  and  prepared  to 
return  to  the  house.  But  he  had  caught  a 
cold,  and  at  dead  of  night  Arcadius  mounted 
a  strong  horse  and  galloped  off  to  Rome,  that 
he  might  summon  disciples  of  Galen  ;  for  his 
grandmother  roused  him  in  the  extremity  of 
grief  to  say  that  Pomponius  appeared  to  be 
seriously  ill. 

60 


GLOOM 

With  youthful  ardour  and  Ignorant  of 
medical  etiquette,  Arcadius  roused  no  less  than 
ten  eminent  practitioners,  and  hearing  who 
suffered,  not  one  of  the  ten  delayed  a  moment. 
A  procession  of  chariots  whirled  off  to  the 
Pomponian  villa,  and  before  morning  light 
the  cream  of  the  profession  stood  beside  the 
couch  of  Marcus. 

They  agreed  that  nothing  of  any  conse- 
quence was  the  matter,  retired  to  consult, 
tossed  up  who  should  send  a  bolus,  and  when 
the  lot  fell  on  Lucius  Curtius  Rufus,  handed 
the  case  over  to  him. 

He  quickly  cured  his  patient  of  a  slight 
bronchitis ;  but  catarrh  followed  :  Marcus 
could  not  sleep  in  comfort,  and  developed  a 
very  trying  cough. 

The  physician  suggested  a  change,  and  his 
patient  took  it.  He  went  to  the  sea,  and  rather 
wished  for  Arcadius  as  sole  companion,  but 
neither  his  wife  nor  his  mother  would  dream 
of  such  a  thing.  Both  accompanied  him  to 
Ostia,  and  though  he  and  Arcadius  poured 
libations  to  Neptune  in  secret,  and  Arcadius, 

6i 


PAN  AND  7HE  TWINS 

boating  among  the  islands,  saw  and  fell  in  love 
with  a  blue-haired  nereid,  Marcus  came  home 
nothing  bettered. 

When  the  winter  returned,  there  fell  a  day 
upon  which  Pomponius  decHned  to  get  up, 
and  an  event  so  unparalleled  caused  utmost 
consternation.  The  janitor  hastened  at  once 
for  Lucius  Rufus,  and  a  very  painful  incident 
marked  the  occasion,  for  the  sick  man  begged 
— nay  commanded — both  his  wife  and  mother 
to  leave  his  apartment,  while  he  insisted  that 
Arcadius  should  remain.  Both  noble  women 
bitterly  resented  this  indignity,  and  they  walked 
up  and  down  the  atrium  waiting  for  the  doctor 
and  quarrelling  between  themselves  in  a  very 
afflicting  manner. 

"  It's  all  your  fault,"  said  Placidia.  "  You 
have  pandered  to  him  over  this  wretched  boy. 
The  thing  was  an  outrage  from  the  beginning, 
and  instead  of  kilHng  it  with  ridicule,  as  I 
endeavoured  to  do,  you  let  it  go  on  until 
Arcadius  has  become  far  more  to  my  husband 
than  I  am — or  you  either." 

"  You   are   mistaken,"   answered  the  elder, 

62 


GLOOM 

"  and  if  you  talk  so  loudly  the  servants  will 
hear  you.  Marcus  never  abated  in  his  love  of 
me.     Can  a  mother- ?  " 

"  Not  too  much  '  mother,'  please,"  answered 
Placidia  in  her  metallic  tones. 

"  It  is  your  gothic  want  of  refinement 
rather  than  failure  of  offspring  that  has  chilled 
Marcus  toward  you,"  replied  Latona,  and  her 
daughter-in-law  flamed  furious  at  so  grave  an 
insult.  They  both  forgot  themselves,  to  the 
secret  entertainment  of  menials  who  were 
dusting  the  statues.  Placidia  failed  to  remem- 
ber that  she  was  a  daughter  of  the  house  of 
Spartianus ;  and  for  two  pins  the  infuriated 
mother  of  Marcus  would  have  slapped  the 
younger's  blazing  cheek. 

"  This  cannot  and  shall  not  go  on,"  said 
Placidia,  stamping  her  sandalled  foot.  She 
had  been  making  the  same  remark  for  fourteen 
years. 

"  Not  if  his  mother  can  help  it,"  replied 
Latona. 

"  Things  have  now  come  to  a  climax  and  I 
will  tolerate  no  more,"  declared  Placidia. 

63 


PAN  AND  THE  TWINS 


a 


When  you  have  borne  half  as  much  as  I 
have,  it  will  be  time  to  stamp,"  retorted  the 
matron. 

Then  Lucius  Rufus  hastened  through  the 
entrance  with  a  bag  o£  healing  drugs,  and,  at 
the  same  moment,  Arcadius  descended  from 
his  father's  chamber.  For  the  villa  boasted 
two  storeys  and  was  famous  on  that  account. 

"  Marcus  Pomponius  is  dead  !  "  cried  the 
boy.  Then  he  flung  himself  on  the  ground 
and  wept.  Rufus  ran  upstairs,  so  fast  that  his 
tunic  fluttered.  He  was  followed  by  the  dis- 
tracted women  ;  but  the  physician  came  too 
late.  The  patient  had  passed  peacefully  away 
with  his  head  on  the  breast  of  his  son. 

•  •  •  •  • 

The  Pomponian  burial  ground  lay  within 
the  boundaries  of  the  estate,  and  on  the  fore- 
noon of  the  eighth  day  after  his  death,  they 
bore  Marcus  to  the  grave.  Pontifical  law 
regulated  the  details,  and  torches — the  funeral 
symbol — blazed  wanly  under  the  sun's  eye. 
Since  his  family  was  honorata,  and  members 
thereof  had  held  curule  offices,  a  considerable 

64 


GLOOM 

amount  of  pomp  and  ritual  accompanied  the 
obsequies.  Lictors  were  present  and  the  city 
fathers.  Valentinian  himself  sent  a  royal 
representative,  not  because  he  much  admired 
Marcus,  but  out  of  honour  to  a  race  that  had 
done  the  state  good  service. 

Beside  the  dead  man's  coffin  sat  a  life-sized 
wooden  doll  clothed  in  his  garments  and  w^ith 
a  v^^axen  face  that  closely  resembled  him.  A 
procession  of  '  ancestors  '  accompanied  the 
funeral — living  men  clad  in  the  insignia  and 
wearing  the  masks  of  the  mighty  dead  Pom- 
ponians.  Ten  musicians  blowing  instruments 
of  brass  led  the  way  ;  but  there  were  no  dancers 
to  amuse  the  spectators,  because  the  funeral 
was  private  and  only  dignitaries  of  Rome,  the 
family  and  the  family  servants  attended  it. 
The  officials  of  the  temple  of  Libitina  had  been 
duly  notified,  and  they  ordered  and  arranged 
the  ceremony  with  their  usual  tact  and  atten- 
tion to  detail. 

Placidia  and  Latona  walked  behind  the  dead 
and  Arcadius  walked  behind  them. 

So  they  laid  Marcus  Pomponius  in  the  marble 

F  65 


PAN  AND  THE  TWINS 

vaults  of  his  mausoleum  under  its  grove  of 
sighing  Cyprus,  strewed  white  flowers  upon  him, 
chanted  a  dirge  and  then  partook  of  the  funeral 
feast  laid,  according  to  custom,  within  the 
dwelling  of  the  dead. 

Nine  days  later  a  distinguished  gathering 
revisited  the  house  of  the  sleepers,  offered  a 
sacrifice  to  the  manes  of  the  departed  and 
consumed  a  dreary  little  meal  of  eggs,  lentils 
and  salt.  Then  they  doffed  their  mourning 
attire  and  faced  life  once  more. 

The  dead  man's  will  caused  a  measure  of 
pain  to  the  wife  and  mother  of  Marcus. 

For  Latona  indeed  he  had  amply  provided, 
but  in  the  case  of  his  wife,  knowing  exceedingly 
well  that  Placidia  would  remarry  as  soon  as 
expedient,  he  made  no  very  elaborate  pro- 
vision. She  had  long  been  an  object  of  admira- 
tion and  desire  to  Claudius  P.  Mamertinus,  an 
elderly  and  Christian  senator  of  good  repute  ; 
and  since  this  excellent  man  possessed  great 
wealth,  Marcus  acted  accordingly. 

Arcadius  was  his  heir,  but  until  the  lad 
donned    toga    virilis,    Latona    was    appointed 

66 


GLOOM 

guardian  of  the  estates  and  revenues ;  while 
for  the  rest,  Marcus  expressed  wishes  concern- 
ing the  freedom  to  be  given  certain  slaves, 
together  with  a  multitude  of  little  remem- 
brances to  his  friends  and  staff. 

It  is  pleasing  to  relate  that  the  mother 
and  wife  of  the  dead  man  became  entirely 
and  beautifully  reconciled  upon  his  passing. 
No  harsh  word  ever  passed  between  them 
again,  and  when  in  due  time  her  daughter-in- 
law  celebrated  marriage  with  old  Mamertinus, 
Latona  in  a  tolerant  spirit  worthy  of  her 
race,  attended  the  Christian  ceremony  and 
gave  the  bride  a  very  handsome  necklace  of 
pearls  and  aquamarines  set  in  silver.  These 
well  accorded  with  Placidia's  somewhat  frosty 
charms. 

Arcadius,  though  not  invited  to  the  wedding, 
despatched  a  gift  from  the  Pomponian  heir- 
looms by  the  permission  of  his  grandmother. 
For,  thought  he,  "  My  father  liked  this  woman 
well  enough  to  wed  her  ;  therefore  there  must 
be  virtues  in  her  which  have  not  met  my 
inexperienced  eyes." 

67 


PAN  AND  THE  TWINS 

The  lad  mourned  beyond  the  allotted 
term,  watered  his  couch  with  tears  and  cruelly 
missed  the  tender  soul  who  had  welcomed  him 
with  such  paternal  kindness  and  lifted  him 
from  a  humble  vine-dresser  into  his  present 
splendid  position. 

As  time  passed,  Latona  found  herself  much 
drawn  to  her  grandson  and  imagined  in  him 
paternal  evidences  of  Marcus  which  did  not 
actually  exist,  for  Arcadius  favoured  his 
mother.  But  the  young  man's  reverence  for 
his  father's  spirit  and  devotion  to  his  memory 
gratified  Latona,  while  the  ability  and  good 
sense  of  Arcadius  made  her  sanguine  that  she 
might  live  to  see  him  revive  some  of  the 
vanished  glories  of  the  race. 

He  constantly  mentioned  his  twin  brother, 
and  longed  that  life  would  bring  them  together; 
but  seeing  that  the  unknown  was  not  of  the 
old  faith,  Latona  rather  trusted  this  might  not 
happen. 


68 


V 

"innocence;'  the  bear 


R 


ELIGION,"  said  Pan,  "is  with  us 
that  we  shall  not  perish  of  too  much 
truth.  The  spirit  quickens,  and  man 
was  driven  to  invent  ghosts,  since  without 
them  he  could  not  explain  either  his  past,  his 
present,  or  his  future.  People  find  themselves 
safer  if  they  live  in  a  cage  of  religion,  and  as 
long  as  they  do  not  make  faces  through  the 
bars  at  other  people  in  other  cages,  no  harm 
is  done.  But  cages  are  apt  to  be  stuffy  and  the 
fumes  prove  very  unfavourable  to  honesty.  In 
time  to  come  men  will  leave  their  cages  and 
be  brave  enough  to  face  truth  without  perishing 
of  fright.  For  the  present  mankind  is  still  in 
his  childhood,  and  truth  may  prove  a  very 
ugly  customer  while  you  are  too  ignorant  to 
recognise  it  as  such." 

The  god  sat  and  watched  Arcadius  as  he 

69 


PAN  AND  THE  TWINS 

spoke,  while  with  hammer  and  chisel  the  lad 
prepared  to  carve  memorial  words  upon  his 
mother's  tomb.  It  stood  in  a  little  grassy 
dingle,  and  round  about  red  roses  blossomed 
during  Summer,  while  the  herbage  was  woven 
with  hyacinths  and  narcissus  at  the  Spring. 

An  experience  painful  in  one  direction, 
fruitful  in  another,  had  overtaken  Arcadius. 
A  day  came  when  he  nerved  himself  to  enter 
his  father's  little  study — a  chamber  that 
opened  out  of  the  temple  of  Rhea-Cybele  and 
had,  in  death  as  in  life,  been  forever  sacred  to 
Marcus.  Here  for  many  years  he  proceeded 
with  his  great  composition — a  work  destined, 
as  he  explained,  to  confound  Lucretius  and 
his  impieties.  Arcadius  expected  to  find  the 
achievement  at  least  near  completion,  and 
himself  having  no  learning  to  measure  such  a 
masterpiece,  proposed  to  submit  the  manu- 
scripts to  men  of  letters,  who  had  known  and 
loved  his  father.  But  not  a  manuscript 
appeared — not  a  note — not  even  a  copy  of  the 
Lucretian  poem  itself  !  In  truth  Marcus 
Pomponius  had  never  read  De  Rerum  Natura 

70 


''  innocence;'  the  bear 

and  had  never  wanted  to  do  so.  His  alleged 
book  was  a  myth,  a  blind,  an  excuse  for  soli- 
tude, a  means  of  peace,  an  escape  from  too 
pressing  reality.  Arcadius  felt  stunned  at  this 
singular  discovery,  but  he  recovered  after  a 
while,  made  an  examination  of  the  chamber 
and  found,  hidden  in  a  cupboard,  copies  of 
many  original  squibs,  satires  and  verses  of  a 
very  personal  and  licentious  character,  which 
professional  poets  and  publicists  had  conveyed 
to  Marcus  with  their  affectionate  greetings. 
He  patronised  these  people,  and  they  rewarded 
him  with  their  most  caustic  achievements. 
Even  had  printing  been  invented,  these  things 
had  never  won  to  it,  for  they  were  quite 
unprintable. 

Arcadius  blushed  at  such  audacities,  for  he 
was  too  young  to  take  pleasure  in  them.  He 
burned  all  the  effusions,  and  then,  seeking 
farther,  came  across  some  very  mild  literary 
efforts  on  the  part  of  his  vanished  parent. 
They  were  quite  devoid  of  offence,  unless 
futility  itself  be  an  offence.  Marcus  had 
evidently  desired  to  compose  a  pleasant  line 

71 


PAN  AND  TEE  TWINS 

for  the  stele  of  Aurelia,  and  various  unsuccess- 
ful attempts  appeared. 

These  the  lad  collected,  and  knowing  from 
a  natural  taste  that  none  was  worthy  of  his 
mother's  grave,  yet,  for  his  dear  father's  sake, 
felt  minded  to  set  one  upon  it.  He  took  them 
to  Pan,  therefore,  and  read  them  to  his  indul- 
gent deity. 

"  Aurelia  loved  pearls,  herself  a  pearl  above  all  price. 

Now  she  is  dissolved  in  the  cup  of  the  gods." 
"  Aurelia  is  dead.    Hold  higher  the  torches 

lest  my  tears  extinguish  them." 
"  My  heart  was  empty  until  Aurelia  made  it  her  jewel 

box.    Now  it  is  again  empty." 
"  Fear  not,  Aurelia,  that  the  flowers  which  spring  from 

your  grave  shall  ever  lack  for  water  while  I  have  eyes." 
"  Here  lies  all  Aurelia 

and  most  of  Marcus." 

"  Dear  me,"  said  Pan,  "  is  that  the  best 
your  poor  father  could  do  ?  " 

"  I'm  afraid  so,"  answered  Arcadius.  "  I 
feel  they  are  not  very  good  myself — still " 

"  Carve  the  last,"  directed  Pan,  "  and  if 
ever  you  have  occasion  to  compose  a  funeral 
sentiment,  study  your  Greek  anthology  before 

72 


''INNOCENCE;'   THE  BEAR 

making  the  attempt.  Consideration  of  what 
has  already  been  done  may  deter  you  ;  for 
one  of  the  first  uses  of  good  poetry  should  be 
to  stop  people  from  writing  bad.  Instead, 
however,  it  appears  to  act  contrariwise.  Man 
is  an  imitative  animal,  which,  of  course, 
accounts  in  a  large  measure  for  his  civilisation  ; 
but  in  art  this  is  a  danger.  Thus  all  schools  are 
perdition,  whether  of  the  arts,  or  philosophy. 
They  produce  disciples,  who  merely  think  and 
act  in  the  line  of  the  didactic  will  that  controls 
them,  and  good  men,  capable  of  some  little 
originality,  are  often  thus  destroyed.  Tradi- 
tion, admirable  in  some  categories,  is  death  to 
art.  The  really  great  man  should  be  complete 
in  himself  and  blaze  solitary,  like  a  star  upon 
the  sky.  Such,  of  course,  alone  matter.  Men- 
kind  pay  too  much  respect  to  the  imitators  ; 
and  another  base  mistake  they  make  is  often 
to  cast  an  original  spirit  into  some  school  and 
so  lose  him,  whereas,  if  better  understood,  he 
might  be  found  a  phoenix,  accounting  to  and 
accounted  for  by  none  but  himself." 

Arcadius  partially  understood  these  opinions. 

73 


PAN  AND  THE  TWINS 

He  was  in  an  egotistical  frame  of  mind,  as 
the  sorrowful  are  apt  to  be,  and  now  he  asked 
a  question  as  he  began  to  draw  letters  on  the 
marble  of  his  mother's  tomb. 

"  Shall  I  ever  be  happy  again.  Great  God  ?  " 
he  inquired. 

"  Still  harping  on  happiness  !  Yes,  you  will 
be  happy  again,  my  lad — happier  than  you 
yet  have  been." 

"  That  is  utterly  impossible.  Divine  One, 
now  that  my  dear  father  is  no  more." 

"  Memory  runs  clearer  as  it  rolls  deeper," 
answered  Pan,  "  and  there  is  a  precious  human 
instinct  to  preserve  the  impression  of  happy 
hours,  but  let  the  dark  ones  grow  dim.  You 
are  too  young  as  yet  to  benefit  from  this  prin- 
ciple ;  you  are  also  too  young  to  taste  the 
highest  happiness  reserved  for  man — that  acme 
of  sensation,  that  quivering  lightning  of  emo- 
tion, that  quintessence  of  feeling  called  love. 
This  tornado  has  yet  to  sweep  over  you  and 
submerge  everything  that  went  before  it,  as 
the  flood  of  Zeus  drowned  all  the  world,  till 
Deucalion    and   his   wife   landed    from   their 

74 


ii 


innocence:'  the  bear 


coffer  on  Parnassus.  Happiness  and  misery  are 
states,  not  conditions.  The  weather  of  life 
must  ever  be  changing." 

Arcadius  began  to  carve,  and  Pan  con- 
tinued. 

"  Some  time  ago  I  met  a  miserable  little 
bird.  She  was  the  skylark's  mate  and  had 
built  her  nest  in  the  scrub  of  dwarf  lavender 
upon  yonder  hill.  But  while  she  hopped  here 
and  there,  refreshing  herself  and  resting  from 
the  labours  of  incubation,  there  came  a  bearded 
goat — a  careless,  old  devil  with  heavy  hooves 
and  yellow  eyes.  Lifting  himself  to  get  a  bite 
of  juniper,  the  fellow  thrust  his  hind  foot 
into  the  lark's  nest  and  made  a  sorry  mess  of 
her  five  eggs.  Thus  were  five  skylarks  lost  to 
the  air,  and  sadly  torn  a  mother's  heart. 

"  The  father  lark  descended  from  his  aerial 
singing  and,  when  I  met  them,  both  were 
talking  to  the  goat — wild,  whirling  and  bitter 
words.  But  the  brute  was  aged  and  rheumatic 
and  didn't  care  an  obolus  for  what  he  had 
done.  He  said  that  the  larks  should  not  build 
their  silly  nests  on  the  ground,  and  implied 

75 


PAN  AND  THE  TWINS 

that  they  had  only  themselves  to  thank  for 
the  disaster. 

"  To-day  I  have  seen  those  birds  again.  The 
lady  has  built  a  new  nest  and  laid  some  more 
eggs ;  her  lord  is  aloft  as  usual,  thrilling  the 
blue  Spring  air.  Their  sorrow  has  passed  and 
they  are  perfectly  happy — for  the  moment." 

"  Why  do  they  build  their  nests  on  the 
ground  ?  "  asked  Arcadius. 

"  That  I  cannot  tell  you,"  answered  Pan. 

"  Cannot  or  will  not.  Mightiest  ?  "  inquired 
the  lad,  who  was  on  terms  of  the  dearest 
affection  with  his  god. 

"  Cannot,"  replied  Pan.  "  There  are  many 
things  of  which  I  am  ignorant,  for  even  the 
immortals  have  their  limitations.  It  is  the 
worshipper  who  knows  everything,  not  the 
god.  That,  however,  must  be  no  story  for 
your  ears  at  present.  Faith  serves  youth  well 
enough.  Have  you  any  of  those  yellow  figs 
your  late  father  gave  me  ?  " 

"  The  tree  flourishes  ;  but  it  is  still  the  early 
Spring,  blessed  One." 

"  I   seldom  perform   a   miracle,"   answered 

76 


"INNOCENCE,''   THE  BEAR 

Pan,  "  and  when  I  do,  like  it  to  be  a  good 
one.     Seek  the  tree." 

Arcadius  dropped  his  tools  and  went  to  the 
fruit  garden  half  a  mile  distant  ;  while  Pan 
picking  up  mallet  and  chisel,  completed  the 
inscription  on  Aurelia's  monument  before  he 
returned. 

The  young  fellow  came  back  with  a  laden 
basket. 

"  The  tree  is  covered  with  magnificent 
fruit  !  "  he  cried. 

"  Say  nothing  about  it,  however,"  answered 
Pan.  Then  he  ate  of  the  figs,  blessed  Arcadius 
and  prepared  to  depart. 

"  I  shall  not  see  you  again  for  some  time," 
he  said.  "  Much  will  have  happened  to  you 
and  the  rest  of  the  world  before  my  return. 
You  may,  I  hope,  have  increased  in  \\isdom 
and  understanding,  and  donned  knowledge 
with  the  toga  virilis  which  you  are  soon  destined 
to  wear." 

Having  thus  spoken  he  went  his  way. 

Three  days  later  Arcadius  took  a  wallet  of 
victuals  and  a  cloak  of  sheep's  wool.    Then  he 

77 


PAN  AND  THE  TWINS 

set  out,  to  live  alone  with  his  thoughts  for  a 
week  and  establish  his  mind  in  the  light  of 
that  manhood  which  would  presently  be  his. 
He  wandered  to  the  Alban  Hills  and  there 
a  remarkable  and  dangerous  adventure  befell 
him. 

We  know,  from  the  Valentinian  historian, 
Ammianus,  that  the  Emperor's  two  bears  did 
their  sovereign's  will  with  punctual  obedience, 
and  we  also  learn  from  the  same  vigorous  scribe, 
that  a  time  came  when  "  Innocence,"  the  great 
he-bear,  was  rewarded  for  his  bloody  activities 
with  freedom.  Valentinian,  though  terrible 
under  certain  promptings  of  his  many-sided 
genius,  has  always  appeared  to  be  a  just  terror, 
and,  considering  the  record  of  his  faithful 
bear,  he  determined  at  length  that  the  brute 
had  earned  liberty  and  a  dignified  old  age  in 
such  salubrious  and  savage  haunts  as  he  might 
select. 

"  Innocence  "  was  therefore  set  free  to  roam 
in  the  forests  of  the  Alban,  and  the  Emperor, 
setting  a  gold  band  about  his  mighty  neck, 
took  friendly  farewell  of  him  and  bade  the 

78 


u 


innocence;'  the  bear 


monster  depart  in  peace.  This  fact  was  known 
to  Rome,  and  Arcadius  had  also  learned  it  ; 
but  he  did  not  associate  the  incident  with  his 
own  pilgrimage  to  the  mountains  ;  nor  in  any 
case  had  he  felt  fear  from  the  possibility  of  a 
clash  with  Valentinian's  old  servant. 

Yet  boy  and  bear  met  and  in  this  manner. 

Arcadius  was  sitting  upon  a  stone  in  a  pine 
clearing,  reflecting  upon  the  insecurity  of  life 
and  turning  over  the  somewhat  sharp  words  he 
had  just  heard  from  a  magpie.  The  magpie, 
having  captured  a  wounded  starling,  was 
hammering  the  life  out  of  it  with  his  chisel- 
beak,  that  he  might  dine.  Whereupon,  chal- 
lenged by  the  scream  of  the  victim,  and  with- 
out stopping  to  reflect,  Arcadius  had  leapt 
forward  and  ended  the  unequal  contest.  The 
half-dead  starling  crawled  under  a  thicket  to 
perish ;  the  magpie  turned  upon  Arcadius 
and  showed  him  his  error. 

*'  Fool !  "  he  said.  "  What  have  you  done  ? 
The  starling  was  already  at  death's  door  with 
a  broken  leg  and  wing.  A  few  moments  would 
have  put  him  out  of  his  misery,  which  now  your 

79 


PAN  AND  THE  TWINS 

blunder  only  serves  to  prolong  without  fore- 
stalling. Thus  you  have  added  to  the  suffer- 
ing of  the  v^orld  and  delayed  my  dinner — 
why  ?  Because  you  wanted  to  be  kind  to 
yourself,  not  the  starling." 

The  youth  had  nothing  to  answer,  but  turned 
away  sadly  :  and  now  he  sat,  debating  the 
matter  and  feeling  the  magpie  to  be  right. 

Meanwhile  "  Innocence  "  was  also  reflecting 
close  at  hand  ;  but  he  always  thought  better 
on  the  move,  and  his  prowling  brought  him 
swiftly  to  the  glade. 

He  had  been  a  free  bear  for  several  months 
and,  like  many  of  his  betters,  began  to  find  that 
liberty  is  not  all  it  vaunts  itself  to  be.  The 
wild  woods  were  excellent  and  life  in  the  open 
very  health-giving.  He  lost  his  mange, 
hardened  his  muscles  and  became  more  formid- 
able than  ever  ;  but  problems  presented  them- 
selves unknown  in  his  palace  cage.  Out  of  his 
happiness,  in  fact,  grew  that  inevitable  little 
worm  of  anxiety  which  so  often  accompanies 
fancied  independence  and  proves  the  state  of 
the  free-lance  to  be  only  relatively  perfect. 

80 


''innocence;'  the  bear 

Thus  "  Innocence "  was  excogitating  like 
puzzles  with  Arcadius  when  they  met. 

The  question  of  malefactors  especially  dis- 
turbed this  bear.  In  the  royal  enclosure  male- 
factors had  never  lacked.  For  breakfast, 
luncheon,  tea  and  dinner  the  malefactor  could 
be  counted  upon  with  certainty  ;  but  here,  on 
the  Alban  ranges,  there  also  harboured  many 
malefactors ;  only  they  took  a  great  deal  of 
catching,  and  the  difference  between  a  cap- 
tured and  a  free  malefactor  he  found  to  be 
prodigious.  Fleet  -  foot  malefactors  often 
escaped  him,  and  worse  :  there  were  male- 
factors who  dared  to  strike  back  ;  there  were 
malefactors  who  wanted  the  gold  necklace 
which  he  wore  to  mark  his  sovereign's  grati- 
tude ;  a  malefactor  had  once  wounded  him 
painfully  in  the  spare  ribs  with  a  knife,  before 
the  wretch  was  overpowered  and  devoured. 
This  tendency  to  retaliate  on  the  part  of 
provisions  puzzled  the  ursine  mind  ;  and  there 
were  other  thorns  in  the  couch  of  liberty  also. 

"  Innocence "  speculated  without  enthu- 
siasm on  a  day  when  he  might  grow  old  and 
G  8i 


PAN  AND  THE  TWINS 

slow,  his  sight  deceive  him,  his  teeth  play  him 
false,  his  appalling  hug  become  less  conclusive. 
He  even  pictured  the  possibility  of  a  male- 
factor— desperate,  dead  to  reverence,  decency, 
tradition — doing  him  in  altogether.  At  his 
weakest  moments  he  considered  the  desira- 
bility of  returning  to  Rome.  He  grew  morbid 
and  even  dared  to  wonder  whether  Valen- 
tinian's  gift  of  liberty  was  all  that  it  seemed. 
Had  the  Emperor  tired  of  him  and  taken  this 
subtle  step  that  he  might  start  another  and 
perhaps  more  showy  bear  ?  Moodily  revolving 
these  points,  "  Innocence  "  emerged  into  the 
glade  and  his  eyes  brightened  at  the  sight  of 
a  solitary  malefactor  sitting  on  a  stone  with  his 
back  turned.  The  man  was  moreover  un- 
armed and  defenceless — as  malefactors  should 
be. 

He  crept  on  his  belly  towards  the  prey  and 
was  about  to  spring  and  incapacitate  Arcadius 
before  making  a  meal  of  him,  when  the  lad 
turned,  perceived  his  peril,  leapt  to  his  feet 
and  accosted  "  Innocence  "  in  his  own  lan- 
guage. 

82 


''INNOCENCE,''   THE  BEAR 

"  Wait— wait— wait  !  "  he  cried.  "  I'm  a 
friend  !  " 

"  A  friend  in  need,"  answered  the  bear, 
with  a  certain  rough  humour.  But  he  hesitated 
and  his  dinner  was  lost.  Another  puzzle  con- 
fronted him  ;  for  how  came  it  about  that 
this  person  knew  his  speech — a  tongue  which 
Valentinian  himself  had  never  acquired  ? 

"  Where  did  you  learn  bear  talk  ?  "  he  asked. 
"  Answer  instantly,  before  I  devour  you." 

"  Where  should  I  learn  it?  "  replied  Arcadius. 
"  There  is  only  One  who  could  have  given  me 
this  valuable  aid  to  culture.  Before  his  name 
I  beg  you  will  shut  your  terrible  mouth  and 
sheathe  those  magnificent  claws.  In  a  word — 
Pan,  my  god  as  well  as  yours." 

"  Not  at  all,"  answered  "  Innocence  "  ;  "I 
am  a  Christian  bear." 

Arcadius  approached  and  patted  his  huge 
head  with  a  kindly  hand. 

"  I  recognise  you,"  he  said.  "  You  are  the 
Emperor's  famous  pet.  To  meet  you  is  a  great 
privilege  ;  but  when  you  say  you  are  a  Chris- 
tian, think  twice.      Keep   an  open   mind,   as 

83 


PAN  AND  THE  TWINS 

Valentinian  himself  does.  The  Christians,  let 
me  tell  you,  are  giving  him  a  great  deal  to 
think  about.  They  quarrel  very  strenuously 
among  themselves,  and  he  makes  law  after  law 
to  check  their  enthusiasm.  The  friends  of 
tolerance  are  in  a  minority  among  the  rising 
sect,  and  the  orthodox  party  are  doing  dreadful 
things  to  those  who  do  not  see  the  faith  with 
their  eyes." 

"  How  is  Valentinian  ?  "  asked  the  bear. 
"  I  thought,  perhaps,  some  day  he  might  look 
me  up." 

"  Far  too  busy,"  replied  Arcadius.  "  At 
present  he  is  across  the  Alps  chastening  the 
AUemanni.  We  are  lighting  in  Germany, 
Britain,  Africa,  on  the  Danube  and  in  the 
East.    It  is  rather  an  unhappy  world  I  fear." 

"  Do  you  chance  to  know  how  '  Grain  of 
Gold '  is  getting  on  without  me  ?  "  asked 
"  Innocence." 

" '  Mica  Aurea '  has  a  new  husband," 
answered  Arcadius. 

"  Just  what  I  expected,"  growled  the  other. 
"  A  lazy  and  a  greedy  brute  was  she.    Nobody 

84 


''INNOCENCE;'   THE  BEAR 

liked  a  tender  malefactor  better  ;    but  I  had 
to  do  all  the  work." 

"  What  of  the  Alban  bears  ?  "  inquired 
Arcadius.    "  No  doubt  you  are  their  king  ?  " 

"  Not  in  the  least,"  answered  "  Innocence." 
"They  are  a  primitive, unsocial  crowd  and  quite 
uneducated  as  to  the  value  of  leadership.  I 
offered  to  be  their  monarch  and  explained  the 
advantages  ;  but  the  barbarians  have  decided 
against  my  suggestion.  Their  elementary  view 
is  that  they  have  always  struggled  on  well 
enough  without  a  king  and  may  continue  to 
do  so." 

"  They  don't  understand  what  they  are 
missing  ?  " 

"  They  don't  understand  anything,"  an- 
swered the  big  bear.  "  One  can  hardly  get 
down  to  their  level  of  intelligence." 

"  Of  course  to  be  their  king  would  prove  a 
great  convenience  to  you,"  suggested  Arcadius. 

"  Obviously.  They  would  reap  the  benefit 
of  my  knowledge  and  experience  and  civilised 
way  of  looking  at  life,  while  I  should  be  waited 
upon,  honoured  and  pampered  as  of  old.    Take 

85 


PAN  AND  THE  TWINS 

honey.  Much  honey  used  to  be  served  to  me 
in  a  silver  dish.  I  need  it,  and  it  is  good  for 
me  ;  but  here,  if  one  wants  it,  one  must  find 
it  and  then  run  the  gauntlet  of  a  myriad 
infernal,  little,  stinging  creatures  that  in- 
fest it  and  apparently  object  to  me  for  taking 
it." 

"  They  are  bees  and  they  make  the  honey," 
explained  Arcadius. 

"  Do  they  ?  Well  they  have  yet  to  learn 
that  honey  was  meant  for  bears,  not  bees. 
Let  them  produce  it  by  all  means ;  but  I 
consume  it." 

"  That  is  the  question  of  Capital  and  Labour 
in  an  elementary  form,"  answered  Arcadius. 
"  I'm  afraid  you  have  a  reactionary  mind  ;  but 
to  dwell  so  long  at  Court  may  have  given  you 
a  bias.    We  must  live  and  let  live." 

"  A  good  motto  for  grass  eaters,"  admitted 
"  Innocence  " — "  not  much  use  to  me." 

"  I  will  send  you  some  honey,"  promised 
Arcadius.  "  I  am  far  from  home  at  present, 
but  shall  be  returning  in  a  day  or  two  ;  and  if 
you  will  trust  me,  I  promise  that  a  very  splendid 

86 


"INNOCENCE;'   THE    BEAR 

present  of  honey  shall  arrive  on  this  spot  at  no 
distant  date." 

"  In  the  comb,"  demanded  "  Innocence." 
In  the  comb,"  replied  his  companion. 
I  will  trust  you,  then.  And  if  you  see 
'  Mica  Aurea,'  tell  her,  since  you  have  the 
power  to  do  so,  that  I  am  in  magnificent  fettle, 
have  ten  wives  handsomer  than  she,  and  for 
all  practical  purposes  find  myself  the  monarch 
of  the  Albans.  It  is  far  from  being  the  truth, 
unfortunately  ;  but  it  will  worry  her  to  think 
so." 

Arcadius  kept  his  promise  and  sent  the 
bear  one  hundred  pounds  of  honeycomb. 
Yet  the  gift  did  "  Innocence "  more  harm 
than  good,  for  he  ate  too  heartily  and  suffered 
inconvenience  and  loss  of  appetite  for  several 
days  afterwards. 


87 


VI 

THE  ADVENT  OF  CERES 

A  BRILLIANT  concourse  assembled  to 
see  Arcadius  don  the  toga  of  manhood. 
The  house  of  Pomponius  was  popular, 
and  Latona  had  many  friends  of  high  rank. 
Placidia  also  accepted  an  invitation  to  the 
festivities.  Once  more  she  trod  the  mosaics 
which  decorated  the  pavement  of  her  ancient 
home,  and  with  her  came  her  husband,  Claudius 
P.  Mamcrtinus.  The  hereditary  aristocracy  of 
Rome  was  present  or  represented  at  the  fes- 
tival, and  though  certain  eminent  persons  de- 
clined to  smile  on  Arcadius,  but  preferred  to 
regard  the  Pomponian  dynasty  as  now  extinct 
in  its  major  branch,  these  purists  were  ac- 
counted no  loss.  A  consul  or  two  attended 
with  sundry  officers  of  state  and  their  ladies. 

Entertainment  on  a  grand  scale  had  been 
provided.    Corybantes  sang  and  danced  before 

88 


7HE  ADVENT  OF  CERES 

the  temple  of  Rhea-Cybelc  ;  while  mummers, 
to  the  number  of  two  hundred,  furnished 
entertainment  on  every  terrace,  and  all  the 
famous  fountains  played  and  plashed  aloft 
into  the  summer  afternoon.  A  magnificent 
banquet  accompanied  the  celebration,  and 
Latona  was  congratulated  upon  the  splendour 
of  the  festa,  and  the  dignity,  modesty  and 
beauty  of  the  young  man  who  formed  the 
central  object  of  it. 

The  actual  rite  accomplished,  Arcadius,  in 
his  snow-white  toga,  moved  among  the  guests 
and  received  their  friendly  greetings  with 
becoming  gratitude. 

"  He  is  more  like  Hadrian's  Antinous  than 
ever,"  said  Placidia  to  Latona.  "  He  has 
certainly  developed  into  a  beautiful  young 
man.    What  eyes  !  " 

"  And  exhibits  charming  little  characteristics 
of  our  dear  Marcus.  Indeed  he  grows  more 
and  more  to  resemble  him  at  heart,"  answered 
the  grandmother  of  Arcadius. 

She  was  going  to  the  dower  house  almost 
immediately,  glad  to  deliver  her  responsibili- 

89 


PAN  AND  THE  TWINS 

ties  into  hands  very  capable  of  controlling 
them.  For  Arcadius  was  able,  intelligent  and 
mentally  equipped  to  administer  his  great 
patrimony  with  wisdom,  generosity  and  judg- 
ment. 

Yet  now  happened  an  event  calculated  to 
throw  him  off  his  balance  for  a  considerable 
time. 

Amid  the  guests  was  the  proconsul,  iEmilius 
Paulus  Severus — a  great  landowner  and  vine 
grower  and  a  man  of  consideration.  With  him 
he  brought  his  wife  and  his  younger  daughter, 
Ceres,  a  maiden  so  called  after  the  ancient 
Italian  goddess  of  agriculture.  She  was  seven- 
teen, with  golden  hair,  a  full  figure,  a  perfectly 
lovely  mouth,  and  untruthful,  blue  eyes.  But 
these  azure  orbs  utterly  belied  her,  for  Ceres 
was  not  given  to  fibbing  and  told  far  fewer 
falsehoods  than  most  girls  of  her  generation. 
After  all,  untruth  is  the  only  weapon  of  im- 
maturity against  middle-age  ;  and  you  shall 
find  that,  though  they  habitually  employ  the 
devious  art  against  parents  and  guardians,  the 
young  are  truthful  enough  to  one  another. 

90 


THE  ADVENT  OF  CERES 

Ceres  beheld  Arcadius,  and  while  her  blue 
eyes  grew  round  and  flashed  unseen,  a  brighter 
flash,  also  invisible,  cut  the  ambient  air,  for 
astride  the  cupola  of  the  Pomponian  mausoleum 
there  sat  irreverent  Cupid  ;  and  now  he  winged 
one  silver  arrow  feathered  gold  into  the  bosom 
of  the  blonde,  while  the  second,  like  unto  it, 
transfixed  the  brown  breast  of  Arcadius.  In 
fact  he  had  not  donned  his  toga  virilis  for  five 
minutes  before  love  broke  through  that  candid 
robe. 

And  when  the  day  was  done  and  Arcadius 
retired  to  his  couch  of  mother-o'-pearl  and 
ebony,  sleep  forgot  him  and  he  tossed  till 
dawn  in  a  condition  of  wonderment.  Not  the 
pageants  or  the  music  threaded  his  thoughts  ; 
not  the  gallant  assembly,  or  the  amazing 
repast ;  not  the  flying  dancers,  or  the  humour 
of  the  mountebanks  ;  but  one  tall  girl  with  a 
golden  girdle,  and  golden  hair  lifted  above  her 
white  forehead  in  a  little  tower.  Her  eyes 
were  like  the  spring  sky  ;  her  lips,  red  as  the 
flower  of  Adonis  ;  the  smile  upon  them,  when 
she  was  introduced  to  him,  an  apotheosis  of 

91 


PAN  AND  THE  TWINS 

beauty.  Such  visions  banished  slumber  ;  and 
elsewhere,  on  her  bed  of  ivory  wdth  amber 
decorations,  Ceres  also  sighed  ;  while  in  her 
case  the  entertainment  of  the  day  likewise  left 
no  impression.  She  only  saw  a  tall  and  stal- 
wart figure,  a  curly  head,  dark  as  night,  yet 
not  without  night's  purple,  a  straight  nose, 
neat  ears,  eyes  lustrous,  mysterious,  magical — 
surely  the  homes  of  poetry — full  lips,  grandly 
modelled,  a  wide  forehead  and  a  round  Roman 
chin. 

After  three  days — which  seemed  to  him  a 
little  lifetime — Arcadius  called  at  the  town 
house  of  ^milius  Severus,  ostensibly  to  thank 
the  magnate  for  his  visit,  in  reality  to  catch  a 
glimpse  of  the  proconsul's  daughter. 

He  was  fortunate,  for  Ceres  happened  to  be 
playing  ball  in  the  garden,  and  as  the  visitor 
alighted  from  his  horse,  she  saw  him  and 
missed  an  easy  catch. 

He  loitered  with  her,  delighted  to  learn 
that  her  father  and  mother  were  from  home. 
And  then  began  a  friendship  which  proceeded 

92 


THE  ADVENT  OF  CERES 

to  its  conclusion  almost  as  swiftly  as  Arcadius 
himself  desired. 

For  the  mother  of  Ceres  smiled  upon  the 
romance  from  the  first  ;  and  when  the  mother 
of  Ceres  smiled,  her  father  generally  smiled 
also. 

The  maternal  Severus  was  in  truth  gratified 
by  the  event,  for  despite  the  extreme  beauty 
of  her  younger  girl,  there  was  that,  until 
now,  in  the  attitude  of  Ceres  toward  man 
which  had  led  her  mother  to  fear  a  spinster 
life.  Indeed  this  instinct  appeared  in  the 
maiden  at  a  tender  age  and  when  she  was  seven, 
she  had  expressed  a  desire  to  become  a  Vestal 
Virgin.  The  priestesses  of  Vesta  entered  her 
service  before  they  were  ten  years  old  and 
retired  at  thirty,  after  which  age  they  were 
free  to  wed  if  they  so  desired  ;  but  there  was 
no  run  upon  them  ;  and  indeed  few  cared  to 
exchange  the  habits  of  a  lifetime.  Her  father, 
however — a  long-sighted  man — looked  ahead 
and  perceived  that  the  service  of  Vesta  pre- 
sented no  great  promise  for  a  neophyte  at  this 
moment.     iEmilius  Severus  had  taken  advan- 

93 


PAN  AND  THE  TWINS 

tage  of  the  tolerance  of  the  times  to  be  nothing 
in  particular  himself.  He  would  bow  his  head 
and  lower  his  voice  when  he  mentioned  the 
name  of  Jove  ;  but  it  meant  little,  and  now 
he  began  to  talk  a  good  deal  about  the  new 
faith.  He  was  not  yet  actually  a  Christian, 
but  wobbling  ;  and  when  he  entered  the  fold, 
he  knew  that,  as  a  matter  of  course,  his  family 
and  household  would  do  likewise.  His  wife 
desired  this  to  happen,  and  so  did  Ceres,  until 
she  fell  in  love  with  Arcadius.  Then  her  mind 
took  fire,  and  since  Pan  was  the  young  man's 
patron,  she  found  herself,  for  the  moment, 
content  to  hear  his  glories  and  proclaim  his 
praise.  In  some  measure  her  mother  was 
relieved  ;  for  Ceres  seemed  just  the  sort  of 
girl  to  get  into  the  hands  of  one  of  those  fas- 
cinating and  unscrupulous  "  advisors  "  now 
the  fashion  among  patrician  lady  Christians — 
a  class  against  whom  Valentinian  already 
fulminated.  He  had,  indeed,  made  it  clear 
that  the  ecclesiastical  order  must  not  receive 
testamentary  gifts,  and  confined  strictly  the 
legal  rights  of  inheritance  ;    but  Valentinian 

94 


THE  ADVENT  OF  CERES 

did  not  know  the  new  Church,  or  the  fiery 
enthusiasms  of  the  proselyte. 

No  difficulties  attended  the  courting  of 
Arcadius  and  Ceres.  The  course  of  true  love 
ran  smooth  and  the  great  matter  sped  trium- 
phantly to  its  predestined  end. 

He  took  her  to  the  chariot  races  and  circus  ; 
he  drove  her  in  his  own  chariot  to  scenes  of 
fame  and  beauty  round  about  ;  he  arranged 
picnics,  to  which  Ceres  and  her  sister  came  ; 
but  her  sister,  Phyllis,  was  already  betrothed, 
and  as  she  brought  her  lover,  they  were  not 
in  the  way  and  only  too  ready  and  willing 
that  the  younger  pair  should  be  left  to  their 
own  amusements. 

Arcadius  determined  to  propose  at  his  temple 
of  Pan,  for  luck,  and  arranged  an  entertain- 
ment which  was  to  be  concluded  in  that 
manner  ;  but  after  all  the  matter  fell  out 
otherwise. 

The  house  of  Pomponius  possessed  a  box 
at  the  Colosseum  and,  on  the  occasion  of 
a  performance,  Ceres  and  her  mother  joined 
Arcadius  therein.    The  matron  left  them  alone 

95 


PAN  AND  THE  TWINS 

during  an  interval,  that  she  might  visit  friends 
below,  and  then  Arcadius,  overmastered  by 
desire  and  opportunity,  offered  heart  and  hand, 
and  Ceres  accepted  his  adoration  w^ith  in- 
genuous delight. 

I  have  stood  v^ithin  the  very  niche  where 
these  twain  plighted  troth,  and  from  the 
Pomponian  box,  which  opened  in  the  second 
tier  of  the  amphitheatre,  after  some  fifteen 
hundred  and  fifty  years  had  rolled,  have  looked 
upon  that  majestical  cup — the  mightiest  Roman 
ruin  in  the  world.  Now  only  pellitory-of-the- 
wall  cushions  those  rugged  stones  ;  ferns  and 
grasses  and  golden  weeds  loll  from  the  cliffs 
and  precipices ;  wdld  fennel  crowns  many  an 
arch  and  broken  wall ;  a  carpet  of  green 
things  is  flung  over  arena  and  auditorium,  and 
the  wind,  making  a  panpipes  of  the  many- 
tunnelled  mass,  shouts  through  a  thousand 
porticoes. 

When  mother,  daughter  and  future  son-in- 
law  returned  to  the  villa  of  the  family,  ^milius 
Severus  was  delighted  at  the  good  news,  pre- 

96 


THE  ADVENT  OF  CERES 

tended  a  surprise  he  did  not  feel  and  sent  for 
amphora;  of  red  wine.  Everybody  knew  that 
this  good  and  successful  man  possessed  the  best 
cellar  in  the  capital,  and  his  Falernian  and 
Ccecuban,  his  Massic  and  Surrentina  were 
probably  at  that  date  the  finest  vintages  on 
earth.  When  any  happy  or  fruitful  thing 
occurred  in  his  life,  Severus  always  sent  for  a 
jar  of  Falernian,  and  since  Fortune  often 
smiled,  he  opened  a  good  many.  But  he  sipped 
like  a  connoisseur  and  was  never  the  worse. 

His  daughter  had  no  objection  to  offer  when 
Arcadius  pleaded  for  a  short  engagement,  and 
the  few  months  permitted  to  pass  before  the 
ceremony  were  spent  in  pleasure  and  the  recep- 
tion of  many  congratulations. 

Where  Ceres  went,  thither  Arcadius  also 
went.  They  hated  to  be  apart,  and  daily  each 
woke  and  desired  the  other  with  that  sleepless 
and  quotidian  longing  which  is  born  of  love 
alone. 

They  attended  parties  and  all  manner  of 
entertainments.  They  also  went  to  services 
of  the  new  Church  together,  and  assisted  at 
H  97 


PAN  AND  THE  TWINS 

other  religious  festivals  in  Pagan  temples. 
Arcadius  sometimes  grumbled  that  every  im- 
portant basilica  in  Rome  v^^as  being  transformed 
to  a  place  of  Christian  w^orship  ;  but  no 
bigotry  marked  his  own  belief,  and  he  was 
aware  that  Pan  would  be  the  last  god  to  refuse 
him  admission  to  the  centres  and  services  of 
the  new  faith.  They  puzzled  him,  however, 
and  he  found  no  temptation  to  be  converted  ; 
but  he  was  impressed  by  the  deep  emotion 
displayed  and  by  the  fervour  of  the  rhetoric 
and  the  magnificence  of  a  ritual  reflected  from 
the  pomps  of  the  religious  past.  Ceres,  how- 
ever, still  prayed  to  Pan,  or  said  she  did.  As 
a  matter  of  fact,  such  was  the  splendour  of 
their  passion  that  man  and  maid  did  very 
little  praying  at  this  moment  save  to  each 
other. 

They  parted  a  week  before  the  ceremony, 
not  to  meet  again  till  their  wedding-day,  and 
during  that  week  Arcadius  devoted  himself 
seriously  to  his  god,  filled  the  temple  of  the 
Pasturer  with  good  things  and  called  upon  him 
day  and  night. 

98 


THE  ADVENT  OF  CERES 

He  blessed  the  deity  for  his  prodigal  gifts 
and  for  a  happiness  that  he  had  not  supposed 
within  mortal  reach  ;  and  Pan,  pleased  at 
these  seemly  and  heartfelt  devotions,  responded 
in  person,  joined  Arcadius  on  a  still  summer 
eve  when  the  stars  twinkled  like  sparks  of  green 
and  red  fire,  and  nightingales  sang  from  every 
olive  tree. 

Arcadius  opened  a  large  and  beautiful 
amphora  of  his  future  father-in-law's  primest 
vintage,  which  he  had  brought  from  Rome 
for  the  occasion,  and  Pan  drank  with  pleasure. 

"  You  mortals  know  a  thing  or  two,"  he 
said.  "  Bacchus  gave  you  the  grape,  but  he 
never  guessed  what  you  would  do  with  it. 
Between  ourselves  nectar  is  milk  for  babes 
contrasted  with  this  masterly  brew." 

"  I  bless  you  and  worship  you  more  faith- 
fully and  enthusiastically  than  ever,  dear 
God  !  "  cried  Arcadius,  who  was  not  interested 
in  wine.  "  I  venerate  your  name  and  cannot 
thank  you  enough  for  the  unspeakable  joy  and 
bliss  you  have  poured  into  my  life.  When 
last  I  saw  you,  I  had  never  loved,  therefore  I 

99 


PAN  AND  THE  TWINS 

had  never  lived  ;  now  I  love  and,  at  last, 
knov\^  the  very  summits  and  crow^ns  of  happi- 
ness." 

"  Love,"  said  Pan,  "  is  like  wine,  my  young 
friend.  To  keep,  the  vintage  must  be  of  a 
high  quality  from  the  beginning.  But  truly 
it  offers  perhaps  the  rarest  happiness  a  man 
may  know,  when  the  ingredients,  as  I  say,  are 
fine.  Love,  in  fact,  depends  upon  the  lovers. 
It  can  be  a  very  gorgeous  thing,  and  indeed  is 
incomparably  splendid  at  its  best  ;  but  to  be 
a  good  lover,  a  man  or  woman  needs  rare  gifts. 
Love  triumphs  over  many  mean  qualities  and 
transforms  the  human  heart  for  a  season  ;  but 
it  needs  rich  fuel  of  character  if  it  is  to  burn 
steadily  and  melt  away  all  those  inferior 
elements  of  the  spirit.  The  effect  of  love  on 
temperament  is,  in  truth,  more  apparent  than 
real ;  and  so,  for  that  matter,  is  the  effect  of 
any  other  great  passion  and  prompting.  But 
there  are  men  and  women  permanently  quali- 
fied and  exalted  by  this  adventure  ;  and  I  hope 
that  you  will  prove  such  a  man,  Ceres  such  a 


woman." 


100 


THE  ADVENT  OF  CERES 

"  We  live  for  each  other,"  answered  Arcadius. 
"  Henceforth  my  life  will  be  devoted  to  making 
Ceres  happy,  and  my  highest  happiness  will  be 
her  first  thought." 

"  If  that  should  be  the  truth,  you  may  con- 
sider yourselves  a  fortunate  pair,"  replied  Pan  ; 
"  but  remember  that  great  love  is  only  proved 
by  its  power  to  conquer  all  else.  The  fire,  as 
I  say,  to  be  consuming,  must  burn  up  all  lesser 
things,  and  still  remain,  steadfast,  paramount, 
clear,  unconquerable  in  both  your  hearts.  I 
speak,  you  note,  of  '  lesser  things,'  and  the 
criterion  and  touchstone  of  true  love  is  this  : 
that  brought  to  its  sublime  test,  all  things  are 
lesser.  If  love  out-grows  the  thousand  temp- 
tations and  trials  which  spell  every  life,  then 
it  is  indeed  the  supreme  aegis  and  shield 
that  nothing  can  pierce — the  purest,  heaven- 
wrought  armour  of  the  human  heart.  But 
such  love  is  rarer  than  yellow  figs  in  February, 
my  pretty  boy." 

"  Such  love  is  ours  1  "  declared  Arcadius. 

"  Nothing  is  impossible,"  answered  Pan, 
"  and  I  am  ever  the  hopefullest  of  the  gods. 

lOI 


PAN  AND  THE  TWINS 

Yet  remember  this  :  the  brighter  the  sun,  the 
darker  the  storm-cloud,  and  it  is  a  quaUty  of 
all  human  happiness  that  the  more  vivid, 
intense  and  superb  it  may  be,  the  graver  those 
inevitable  cares  that  must  accompany  it.  One 
happiness  indeed  is  all  light  and  no  darkness — 
of  that  I  may  acquaint  you  at  another  time — 
but  love,  even  the  most  lofty,  generous  love  of 
man  for  woman — cannot  escape  its  comple- 
ment ;  and  by  the  way  a  man  faces  the  ad- 
juncts and  accessories  of  great  love  do  the  gods 
judge  him.  Love  is  indeed  a  tremendous  test 
of  humanity.  We  find  that  few  great  men 
are  great  lovers.  Jove  himself  admits  that  he 
knows  not  the  meaning  of  the  word  in  its 
highest  signification.  But,  godlike,,  he  admires 
the  best  when  he  sees  it,  and  steadfast  lovers 
are  among  those  he  most  generously  re- 
wards." 

Arcadius  grew  a  little  tired  of  this  sermon — 
so  needless  as  it  appeared  in  his  case. 

"  There  is  only  one  woman  in  the  world  for 
me,  and  only  one  man  for  Ceres,"  he  declared. 

"  Good,"  said  Pan.     "  But  you  are  not  the 

102 


THE  ADVENT  OF  CERES 

first  who  has  held  the  same  opinion  a  week 
before  the  day  of  Hymen ;  and  you  will  not 
be  the  last.  May  you  be  making  the  same 
remark  with  the  same  conviction  twenty  years 
hence,  my  son." 

"  Are  you  coming  to  the  wedding,  dear 
God  ?  "  asked  Arcadius. 

"  No,"  repHed  Pan.  "  I  shall,  however, 
think  of  you  and  may  even  pipe  a  little 
epithalamy.  I  love  you.  You  have  promise  ; 
some  day  you  will  be  tried  in  the  fire  and,  I 
hope,  prove  good  metal.  But  always  remember 
my  advice  :  to  treat  happiness  when  it  does 
come,  like  a  master,  not  a  slave.  Be  dignified 
even  though  you  are  happy.  Stop  short  of 
satiety,  for  satiety  means  loss  of  self-respect. 
And  remember  the  worm  in  the  bud.  Be 
prepared  for  that,  then  it  should  not  surprise 
or  shock  you  when  it  begins  to  wriggle.  The 
Christians  will  tell  you  that  happiness  is  a 
false  fire,  though  I  have  known  a  great  many 
happy  Christians,  who  thoroughly  deserved 
their  joy.  But  they  take  it,  as  a  dog  takes  a 
doubtful  bone,  with  his  eye  on  his  master's 

103 


PAN  AND  THE  TWINS 

whip.  Happiness,  say  they,  is  no  meat  for 
miserable  sinners ;  and  that  is  what  they  call 
themselves,  though  a  less  miserable  cult  at 
present  you  will  not  easily  find.  Happiness 
they  hold  a  thing  that  exhausts  itself  sooner 
or  later,  just  as  do  pain,  hate,  remorse  (a 
horrid  new  complaint  they  have  invented)  or 
any  other  human  emotion.  All  that  is  common 
to  a  finite  being  must  be  finite,  fleeting,  subject 
to  change  ;  and  only  when  these  shards  have 
been  shed,  can  the  true  wings  open  that  will 
waft  you  to  your  eternal  home.  Thus  they 
contend,  and  there  is  a  measure  of  truth  in 
these  opinions.  But  they  do  not  take  into 
account  the  inherent  qualities  of  mankind.  It 
is  wise  and  right  to  desire  better  bread  than  is 
made  of  wheat,  and  everybody  who  is  worth 
admiration  does  so  ;  yet  meantime  this  scorn 
of  earth  is  unreal  and  breeds  a  body  of  very 
pestilent  opinion  by  running  into  extremes. 
You  will  see  these  things  for  yourself  years 
hence." 

Arcadius  found  Pan  dull  on  this  evening  ; 
but  looking  back,  long  afterwards,  he  better 

104 


THE  ADVEN7  OF  CERES 

understood   the   god   in   the   light   of   future 
experience. 

His  wedding  was  the  most  dchghtful  affair. 
An  unclouded  sun  shone  upon  it,  and  the  cere- 
mony proceeded  after  the  old  Pagan  manner. 
Many  of  the  new  faith  attended,  however, 
and  none  but  entertained  good  hopes  that 
the  young  pair  would  be  blessed  in  their  union 
and  suffer  their  cup  of  happiness  to  run  over 
for  those  less  fortunate. 

Within  six  months  from  that  time  Rome 
mourned  the  Emperor,  for  Valentinian  lost 
his  temper  with  the  erring  Quadi  and,  in  a 
fit  of  rage  before  their  ambassadors,  burst  a 
blood  vessel  and  departed  his  tempestuous  life. 
Gratian,  his  eldest  son,  thereupon  ascended  to 
the  throne — a  youth  of  seventeen  already 
famous  for  many  virtues. 


105 


VII 
HILARION 

A  YEAR  later  Arcadius  walked  up  and 
down  in  his  silent  atrium  while  yet 
only  the  first  glimmer  of  dawn  touched 
the  noses  of  the  metal  and  marble  statues  in 
their  silent  alcoves.  A  very  fine  bronze,  con- 
siderably larger  than  life,  had  been  erected  to 
Marcus  Pomponius,  and  his  son  adopted  this 
work  of  art  as  his  personal  Lar.  He  poured 
libations  and  offered  portions  from  the  morning 
meal  to  the  statue,  and  flowers  always  stood 
in  tall  vases  beside  it.  Now,  as  he  tramped 
solitary,  with  strained  ears  and  nerves  on  edge, 
he  heard  the  clarion  of  barn  cocks  crowing 
against  each  other  under  the  first  grey  glimmer 
of  morning. 

"  How  little  they  know  that  somebody  is 
listening  to  them  and  weighing  the  sincerity 
of  their  challenges,"  thought  Arcadius.     And 

1 06 


HILARION 

then  he  considered  how  little  any  of  us  know 
who  may  be  listening  to  us  and  weighing  our 
sincerity. 

"  If  we  did,  perhaps  we  should  not  crow  so 
often,  or  so  loud,"  he  said  to  himself. 

A  slave  brought  him  refreshment,  but  he 
set  it  before  the  benignant  bronze  that  repre- 
sented his  father,  and  still  strode  up  and  down 
until  the  eastern  grey  was  soaked  with  silver 
and  the  olive  orchards  over  against  the  dawn 
began  to  shiver  with  light. 

Then  descended  Lucius  Curtius  Rufus 
from  an  upper  chamber  and  told  Arcadius 
that  he  was  the  father  of  a  remarkably  fine 
boy. 

"  All  has  happened  agreeably  to  Mater 
Matuta,  goddess  of  birth  and  dawn,"  said  the 
physician.  "  Your  wife  is  in  the  best  possible 
health  and  spirits.  Eat  and  drink  therefore 
and  praise  the  gods.  In  a  few  hours  you  may 
visit  Ceres  and  the  babe." 

Arcadius,  out  of  the  abundance  of  his  joy, 
instantly  bestowed  a  farm  of  one  hundred 
acres  upon  Rufus,  who  thanked  him  heartily 

107 


PAN  AND  TEE  TWINS 

and  went  his  way  reflecting  upon  the  ill-dis- 
cipline of  the  human  mind. 

"  For  this  gift  I  have  done  nothing  at  all," 
he  thought.  "  Had  a  difficult  and  dangerous 
task  been  mine  and  failure  crowned  my  best 
exertions,  though  then  I  might  have  deserved 
such  a  reward,  it  is  most  certain  Pomponius 
had  not  offered  it." 

Arcadius  in  great  content  sacrificed  to  Pan, 
made  a  hearty  meal  himself,  learned  that  Ceres 
slept  and  her  son  was  accepting  the  burden  of 
life  with  good  grace,  and  then  set  forth  to 
commune  with  his  thoughts  upon  the  moun- 
tain-side. 

He  rambled  a  few  miles  and  ascended  to 
rough  land  where  peaks  and  pinnacles  of  rock 
broke  through  the  scrub  and  where  lavender 
and  myrtle  grew  and  many  small  flowers 
gemmed  the  herbage. 

He  reflected  upon  his  first  year  of  married 
life  and  found  that  it  had  been  altogether  good. 
Daily  his  wife  and  he  became  more  precious 
to  each  other  and  increased  in  devotion.  But 
Pan  was  right  :    out  of  that  sublime  under- 

io8 


HILARION 

standing  there  grew  care,  and  Arcadius  found 
that  great  love  breeds  fear  and  puts  a  man 
in  the  power  of  Fortuna.  Yet  even  these 
cobwebs  were  bediamonded,  for  how  dehghtful 
after  Ceres  had  suffered  from  headache,  to 
hear  her  say  it  was  gone  ;  how  pleasant,  after 
she  had  missed  her  breakfast,  to  find  her 
hungry  at  lunch  ;  how  adorable,  when  she 
sighed  at  daybreak,  to  hear  her  laugh  at  noon. 
Her  temper  was  as  level  as  his  own,  and  she 
displayed  a  clear  intellect,  which  added  much 
to  his  content.  Her  mind  indeed  was  less 
prone  than  his  to  dwell  on  what  he  regarded 
as  serious  subjects  ;  but  herein  he  erred,  for 
truly  Ceres  made  no  mistake  concerning  what 
was  serious.  She  esteemed  mathematics  above 
metaphysics,  as  a  good  housewife  should  ;  she 
knew  the  value  of  money  far  better  than 
Arcadius,  for  she  had  learned  that  from  her 
father  ;  and  she  saved  her  husband  a  great 
deal  of  needless  expenditure  without  causing 
anybody  the  least  inconvenience.  She  proved 
in  fact  a  good  woman  of  business,  yet  such 
was  her  native  dignity  and  kindly  nature  that 

109 


PAN  AND  THE  TWINS 

none  lamented  her  methods,  or  judged  her 
harshly.  In  matters  of  religion  she  worshipped 
Pan  outwardly,  but  hid  her  heart. 

Now  Arcadius,  wandering  upon  an  uplifted 
sheep-track,  and  bending  from  time  to  time  to 
gather  a  deep  blue  gentian  for  Ceres,  since 
that  was  her  favourite  flower,  came  upon  a 
stranger.  A  monk  walked  solitary  towards  him, 
and  at  another  time  he  might  have  resented 
what  he  had  possibly  described  as  a  blot  on  the 
landscape  ;  but  to-day  a  monastery  of  monks 
had  hardly  chilled  the  warmth  at  his  heart. 

The  stranger  was  of  good  presence,  tall 
and  well-formed.  He  carried  a  Httle  parcel, 
and  wore  his  cowl  thrown  back,  so  that  the 
breeze  might  blow  upon  his  curly  hair.  He 
was  dark,  with  wonderful  eyes,  bright  and 
melting,  a  good  nose  and  a  thick  beard  and 
moustache.  From  the  close  curls  upon  his 
pate,  a  circle  had  been  shaved — the  tonsure. 

"  Peace  be  to  this  Httle  mountain  !  "  said 
the  young  man  pleasantly. 

"  Why  not  ?  "  asked  Arcadius.  "  The  up- 
land is  peaceful ;    so  am  I  ;    so,  I  hope,  are 

no 


HILARION 

you  ;  though  you  are,  as  a  matter  of  fact, 
trespassing.    This  is  my  Httle  mountain." 

"  Then  peace  be  yours  also,"  repHed  the 
monk,  "  for  you  are  Arcadius  Pomponius." 

"  I  am." 

"  There  is  no  doubt  that  I  trespass,"  ad- 
mitted the  stranger,  "  and  it  is  equally  certain 
that  if  you  insist  upon  it  I  shall  go  at  once  ; 
but  I  understood  that  here  I  might  count 
upon — not,  perhaps,  a  cordial,  but  certainly  a 
courteous  reception.  I  was  told  that,  such  are 
your  opinions,  you  permit  right  of  passage  to 
any  who  would  shorten  their  wayfaring  by 
crossing  Pomponian  ground." 

"  Where  are  you  going  then  ?  "  asked 
Arcadius. 

"  I  am  going  to  ask  a  favour,"  replied  the 
monk  with  an  attractive  smile.  "  The  facts 
are  these  ;  I  am  a  hermit." 

"  You  do  not  look  it,"  answered  the  other. 

"  A  cloistered  hermit,  seeking  for  some 
mossy  grot,  where  he  may  dwell  in  seclusion, 
contemplation  and  prayer.  1  have  come  from 
far.    But  in  the  East  we  hermits,  if  I  may  say 

III 


PAN  AND  THE  TWINS 

so,  are  getting  too  thick  on  the  ground.  The 
TheJ^aid — you  understand.  Now,  to  have 
brother  anchorites  within  half  a  hundred  yards 
of  you  on  every  side  is  not  so  much  to  be 
a  hermit  as  a  rabbit.  One's  first  object  is 
defeated.  I  am  frankly  weary  of  these  hermit 
warrens  and  have  journeyed  by  many  marches 
and  through  many  adventures  to  Rome,  where 
your  true  hermit  has  something  of  the  charm 
of  novelty.  Here  I  am  near  enough  for 
pilgrimage  of  the  devout ;  and  here  I  hope,  if 
you  are  willing,  I  may  find  some  modest  cavern 
on  this  salubrious  hill  remote  from  man,  but 
not  so  remote  that  the  folk  of  the  countryside 
may  welcome  me  and,  in  exchange  for  my 
prayers,  good  counsel  and  aid  in  matters  of  the 
spirit,  support  my  modest  physical  needs." 

Arcadius  regarded  the  stalwart  speaker  with 
interest.  At  another  time  he  might  have 
argued  with  him  and  condemned  his  ideal  of 
isolation  ;  to-day  he  was  in  no  mood  to  deny 
the  least  or  greatest  petition. 

"  I  am  myself  a  disciple  of  Pan,"  he  said. 

"  I  know  it,"  answered  the  monk  with  in- 

112 


HILARION 

genuous  frankness.  "  Think  not  that  you  see 
in  me  a  fanatic.  The  man  who  is  a  gepjuine 
disciple  of  any  deity  and  profits  by  his  faith, 
showing  its  worth  before  his  fellow-man,  com- 
mands my  instant  respect.  Pray  and  let  pray 
is  a  very  good  motto  ;  and  in  my  opinion  it 
takes  most  of  us  all  our  time  to  save  our  own 
souls.  That,  at  any  rate,  I  am  seeking  to  do. 
And  if  you  will  permit  me  to  continue  my  task 
in  this  beautiful  spot,  I  shall  be  much  obliged 
to  you." 

"  You  won't  want  to  convert  my  slaves,  or 
anything  of  that  kind  ?  Many  of  them  are 
already  Christians  for  that  matter,  and  I  never 
interfere  with  them  as  long  as  they  do  their 
duty.  Too  well  I  remember,  in  my  green 
youth,  being  thumped  by  a  hard  man  because 
I  prayed  to  my  god  when  I  ought  to  have  been 
looking  after  his  vines.  Caius  Crassus  he  was 
called." 

The  monk  frowned. 

"  A  name  that  seems  familiar,"  he  said. 

"And  what  is  your  nam^?"  inquired 
Arcadius. 

I  113 


I 


PAN  AND  THE  TWINS 

"  Hilarion,"  answered  the  recluse.  "  I,  too, 
served  human  masters  in  my  youth,  and  a 
devout  and  pious  person,  finding  I  had  no  name 
in  particular,  baptised  me  into  my  faith  under 
that  of  a  famous  Egyptian  saint.  Some  day  I 
hope  to  be  w^orthy  of  it." 

"  Are  you  setting  out  for  saintship  ?  "  asked 
Arcadius. 

"  I  have  modest  hopes,"  answered  the  man 
of  God.  "  We  must  at  least  aim  high.  But 
the  way  is  long  and  steep  and  thorny.  Do  not 
think  that  I  feel  unduly  sanguine.  Still,  what 
men  have  done,  men  can  do." 

"  What  does  your  parcel  hold  ?  " 

"  My  scriptures,  a  skull  and  a  change  of 
linen,"  answered  the  other.  "  I  am,  you  must 
know,  a  monk  who  loves  everything  about  him 
to  be  sweet  and  clean.  This  is  unusual,  and 
it  has  been  pointed  out  to  me  for  a  danger  ; 
but  I  cannot  help  it.  The  physical  discomfort 
of  being  grubby  distracts  my  attention  from 
higher  things.  We  all  have  got  our  idiosyn- 
crasies, and  I  must  be  a  clean  saint  if  I  am 
ever  to  be  one  at  all." 

114 


HILARION 

"  I  agree  with  you — so  far,"  replied  Arcadius. 

"  I  should,  therefore,  wish  a  cave  not  too 
far  from  a  purling  stream  and  with  a  south 
face,"  explained  the  other.  "  I  cannot  see 
why  one  must  be  less  hopeful  of  rehgious 
mastery  because  he  loves  the  music  of  sweet 
waters  and  the  light  of  the  sun.  I  may,  of 
course,  be  mistaken  ;  heavenly  monitors  may 
presently  direct  me  to  stuffier  and  less  agreeable 
conditions ;  but  for  the  moment  that  is  what 
I  seek,  if  you  advance  nothing  against  it." 

An  emotion,  which  as  yet  he  failed  to 
understand,  drew  Arcadius  to  this  young  and 
ardent  Christian.  Against  his  better  judg- 
ment he  found  himself  much  liking  the 
stranger,  and  what  was  still  more  curious,  he 
discovered  in  the  eyes  and  gestures  of  Hilarion 
something  that  seemed  familiar. 

"  With  regard  to  caverns,"  he  said,  "  there 
are,  I  doubt  not,  half  a  dozen  both  dry  and  com- 
modious upon  this  hill-slope.  One  especially 
occurs  to  me.  It  is  situated  under  a  grove 
of  arbutus,  and  at  late  autumn  the  red  berries 
fall  upon  the  threshold.     Round  about  grow 

"5 


PAN  AND  THE  TWINS 

asphodel,  wild  garlic  and  the  orange  lily.  In 
spring,  white  and  purple  crocuses  spear  through 
the  green  grass,  and  within  a  hundred  yards, 
a  stream  containing  little  fish  meanders, 
springing  from  its  crystal  cradle  among  the 
chestnut  trees." 

"  All  very  good,"  answered  Hilarion,  "  and 
not  least  the  fishes  ;  for  on  a  Friday  it  is  my 
custom  to  eat  a  fish,  or  nothing." 

"  Unfortunately  that  cave  is  tenanted," 
added  Arcadius. 

"  A  pity — indeed  a  misfortune,"  sighed 
Hilarion.     "  Another  hermit  ?  " 

"  A  badger  and  his  mate,"  said  Arcadius. 

The  monk  considered  this. 

"  Then  surely  one  need  not  despair,"  he 
answered.  "  I  submit  with  all  deference  that, 
in  such  a  case,  immortal  man  ought  to  have 
a  pull  over  the  beasts  that  perish." 

"  You  think  so  ?  " 

"  What  do  you  think,  most  noble  Pom- 
ponius  ?  " 

"  The  beasts  certainly  perish  ;  and  I  am 
one  of  those  who  assist  them  to  do  so,  for  I 

ii6 


HILARION 

love  sport.  Pan,  however,  did  we  consult 
him  on  such  a  question,  would  probably  hold 
that  possession  is  nine  points  of  the  law.  He 
would  certainly  tell  me  that  to  eject  the 
badger  by  mere  brute  force — the  only  thing 
that  could  do  it — is  out  of  the  question." 

Hilarion  debated  a  view  which  was  strange 
to  him. 

"  I  have  not  known  respect  for  a  dumb 
animal's  security  pushed  to  these  lengths,"  he 
said.  "  If  it  were  possible  to  argue  with  the 
badger " 

"  It  is,"  replied  Arcadius.  "  I  have  a  great 
and  precious  gift  from  Pan.  The  badger  is 
no  more  dumb  than  you  are.  For  the  moment, 
however,  I  am  a  little  preoccupied  and  must  be 
returning  home.  This  morning  my  wife  has 
given  birth  to  a  man-child." 

"  I  congratulate  you  with  all  my  heart," 
answered  Hilarion,  "  and  I  appreciate  the  great 
kindness  which  could  prompt  you  to  delay 
with  a  stranger  at  such  a  moment." 

"  The  curious  thing  about  you  is  that  I  do 
not  feel  you  are  a  stranger,"  answered  Arcadius. 

117 


PAN  AND   "THE  TWINS 

"  Let  us  walk  together,  and  you  shall  tell  me 
your  story  and  eat  at  my  table,  unless  your  rule 
of  life  prevents  it." 

"  In  the  matter  of  eating,"  rephed  the  monk, 
"  if  true  friendship  salts  the  food,  I  ask  no 
more.  Be  it  a  lettuce  leaf  and  a  crust  of  black 
bread,  or  a  patrician  repast,  all  is  one  to  me. 
And  I,  too,  feel  that  in  your  company  I  am 
with  a  famihar.  It  is  doubtless  your  humanity 
— the  magic  gift  that  draws  all  men  of  good 
will  together." 

A  recollection  of  a  remote  evening  under 
the  aqueduct,  when  Pan  spoke  with  him  and 
healed  his  stripes,  flashed  into  the  mind  of  the 
young  Pomponius. 

"  Does  the  name  of  Cassius  Lucanus  recall 
anything  to  you  ?  "  he  asked,  and  Hilarion's 
face  fell. 

"  Alas !  it  does,"  he  answered.  "  As  a  way- 
ward and  headlong  lad,  before  the  Light  had 
flashed,  I  ran  away  from  that  good  Christian, 
to  seek  my  fortune  elsewhere." 

"  Embrace  me  then  !  "  cried  Arcadius,  "  for 
you  are  my  twin  brother  !  " 

ii8 


HILARION 

The  anchorite  dropped  his  bundle,  and  the 
young  fellows  flung  their  arms  about  each 
other's  necks. 

"  Now  I  know  why  the  name  of  Caius 
Crassus  struck  a  deep  note  of  memory,"  said 
Hilarion.  "  To  him  you  went,  and  that  much 
I  remembered.  You  are  indeed  my  very 
twin  !  " 

"  Oh  that  our  father  had  lived  to  see  this 
wondrous  day  !  "  exclaimed  the  other. 

Then  for  a  time  they  walked  silently  to- 
gether. 

"  Much  will  spring  from  such  an  event," 
declared  Arcadius  presently.  "  Think  not  that 
I  shall  deny  your  patrimony,  Hilarion,  for  we 
are  one  and  all  mine  is  yours." 

But  the  hermit  was  determined  upon  this 
subject. 

"  On  that  high  matter  one  word  is  as  good 
as  a  thousand,"  he  repHed.  "  Once  and  for 
all  I  must  continue  as  I  am.  This  accident, 
indeed,  brings  into  my  Hfe  the  blessing  of 
kinship  and  the  joy  of  a  loving  brother  ;  but 
no  more  than  that.     I  am  dedicated  to  the 

119 


PAN  AND  THE  TWINS 

solitary  life  for  ever  ;  and  if  you  disapprove, 
then  I  shall  vanish  as  I  have  come.  But  it  will 
be  a  needless  grief  to  deny  myself  this  gracious 
and  beautiful  experience.  I  therefore  ask  you 
to  let  me  go  on  as  I  desire  to  go,  dwell  within 
reach  of  your  dear  presence  certainly,  but  live 
in  my  own  way  and  cumber  not  myself  with 
other  interests  than  those  which  at  present 
occupy  me." 

"  To  part  from  each  other  is,  of  course,  out 
of  the  question,"  declared  Arcadius.  "  As  to 
details,  we  can  discuss  them  at  another  season. 
For  the  moment  we  will  approach  the  paternal 
roof  together,  and  you  shall  hear  good  things 
about  our  father.  This  is  a  day  to  be 
graven  in  letters  of  gold  for  me — a  day  that 
brings  me  a  son  and  brother  together. 
Blessed  be  the  gracious  and  glorious  name  of 
Pan  !  " 

They  went  in  together,  and  having  eaten, 
Arcadius  approached  his  wife  and  child,  while 
Hilarion  took  a  bath.  Ceres  was  delighted  to 
see  her  husband  and  rejoiced  at  his  joy  ;  but 
he   kept   the   subject   of   Hilarion    from   her, 

120 


HILARION 

fearing  the  shock  of  an  event  so  unexpected 
might  do  his  wife  harm. 

He  came  from  the  first  sight  of  his  son  a 
Httle  chastened,  albeit  those  who  understood 
the  matter  assured  him  that  the  babe  showed 
abundant  promise  and,  indeed,  already  ex- 
ceeded most  newly  born  infants  both  in  weight 
and  charm.  But  he  had  never  seen  an  object 
so  disappointing. 

That  night  he  and  his  brother  related  their 
adventures,  and  Arcadius  strove  without  suc- 
cess to  turn  Hilarion  from  his  resolve. 

"  As  well  might  I  invite  you  to  turn  your 
back  upon  your  duty,"  answered  the  young 
hermit.  "  Providence  has  willed  that  you 
shall  be  the  master  of  great  estates,  many 
slaves,  much  wealth.  You  are  called  to  this 
life,  and  have  entered  upon  it  no  doubt  stead- 
fastly and  wisely.  For  me  such  an  existence 
would  be  dust  and  ashes.  My  treasure  is  not 
on  earth.  A  lonely  grot  and  a  life  of  seclusion, 
meditation,  devotion  and  contemplation  lie 
before  me.  We  shall  be  brothers — each  I  hope 
proud  as  well  as  fond  of  the  other  ;    but  we 

121 


PAN  AND  THE  fWINS 

must  pursue  our  different  paths,  fulfil  our 
different  destinies,  and  worship  our  different 
gods  in  sincerity  and  singleness  of  heart." 

From  this  attitude  Hilarion  would  not  budge, 
and  Arcadius  perceived  that  whether  his 
brother's  ambitions  were  worthy  of  admira- 
tion or  no,  he  designed  to  follow  them.  He 
gazed  affectionately  upon  his  twin,  and  re- 
garded him  with  the  deepest  attention.  He 
thus  enjoyed  the  rare  experience  of  seeing 
himself,  for  they  were  amazingly  alike,  and  had 
the  monk  but  shaved  his  face  instead  of  his 
scalp  and  worn  the  tunic  of  his  brother,  it  is 
certain  that  no  ordinary  observer  would  have 
known  to  discriminate  between  them. 

They  sat  until  a  late  hour  and  then,  though 
reluctantly,  Hilarion  consented  to  sleep  in  his 
brother's  house. 

"  I  should  dearly  like  to  baptise  my  nephew," 
he  said,  "  but  I  suppose  that  is  out  of  the 
question  ?  " 

"  Nothing  that  could  advance  my  son's 
welfare  is  out  of  the  question,"  responded 
Arcadius ;    "  but  what  would  be  the  probable 

122 


HILARION 

effect  upon  him  did  you  administer  this 
rite  ?  " 

"  He  would  be  healed  of  his  original  sin," 
explained  Hilarion.  "  You  understand  that  he 
entered  the  world  a  sinner." 

"  Why  ?    Can  a  child  do  evil  in  the  womb  ?  " 

"  It  is  his  human  inheritance,"  declared 
the  hermit.  "  Every  one  of  us  arrives  on 
earth  in  this  unfortunate  condition ;  because 
Adam,  our  first  parent,  disobeyed  his  Maker 
and  ate  of  the  Tree  of  Knowledge,  being 
expressly  forbidden  to  do  so.  We  Christians 
strive,  of  course,  to  see  that  people  shall  not 
continue  to  eat  of  this  noxious  fruit ;  and  I 
hope  presently  we  may  be  powerful  enough 
to  prevent  them  ;  but  meantime  every  son 
and  daughter  of  mankind  suffers  for  Adam's 
awful  disobedience,  and  not  a  child  can  escape 
this  primal  taint  and  consequent  destruction 
save  by  the  way  of  Christian  baptism." 

Arcadius  clasped  his  brother's  hand  and 
beamed  genially  upon  him. 

"  They  did  wrong  who  told  me  your  faith 
lacks    any   touch    of   humour,"    he    declared. 

123 


PAN  AND  THE  TWINS 

"  Surely  it  sparkles  with  rich  entertainment  for 
the  inquiring  mind." 

Then  they  embraced  again  ;  thanked  their 
respective  deities  for  the  supreme  happiness 
that  had  fallen  upon  them,  and  presently 
retired,  each  to  dream  with  affection  of  the 
other. 


124 


VIII 
THE  CAVERN  BT  THE  BROOK 

IN  the  morning,  though  his  arrival  was 
still  hidden  from  Ceres,  Hilarion  held  the 
new-born  babe  in  his  arms  for  a  few 
moments  and  secretly  put  the  Sign  of  the  Cross 
upon  his  forehead,  when  nobody  was  looking. 

Then  he  took  his  parcel  and  set  out  with 
Arcadius  for  the  cavern  by  the  brook.  Once 
more  the  son  of  Marcus  Pomponius  pleaded 
with  his  twin  brother  and  argued  that  their 
father  must  be  grieved,  did  he  know  of  the 
young  man's  determination ;  but  nothing 
would  change  Hilarion. 

"  Have  no  fear  for  me,"  he  said,  "  and 
though  I  am  sure  that  our  dear  father,  accord- 
ing to  his  lights,  was  an  upright  and  well- 
meaning  man,  yet  it  is  idle  to  pretend  that  I 
owe  him  anything  but  life.  To  be  a  natural 
son  is  in  itself  a  matter  for  profoundest  regret, 

125 


PAN  AND  THE  TWINS 

and  knowing  that  you  and  I  were  born  in  sin, 
even  more  than  most  people,  so  much  the 
greater  is  the  demand  upon  us — each  in  his 
own  way — to  make  good  use  of  the  fleeting 
years  and  combat  these  sad  disabilities." 

Arcadius  felt  melancholy  at  a  view  of  life 
which  appeared  to  him  somewhat  morbid  if 
not  futile,  and  Hilarion,  as  twins  will,  guessed 
the  other's  thought. 

"  One  must  be  a  httle  hard  at  the  edges  and 
self-centred,  brother,  if  one  is  to  tread  success- 
fully the  paths  of  thorns,"  he  explained. 

Arcadius  made  no  reply. 

They  came  to  the  cavern  over  which  sparkled 
the  foHage  of  arbutus  trees  and  shone  their  red 
trunks.  The  place  was  bathed  in  morning 
sunlight,  and  at  noon  this  golden  splendour 
penetrated  the  cave,  showing  it  to  be  carpeted 
with  white  fine  sand  and  roofed  with  pearly 
limestone.  Within  there  opened  a  lesser  cave 
at  the  heart  of  the  rock,  with  an  entrance  two 
feet  high.  This  hole — dark  and  carpeted  with 
dry  grass — was  the  apartment  of  the  badger 
and  his  lady. 

126 


THE  CAVERN  BY  THE  BROOK 

Arcadius  called  to  the  creature  and  he  rose 
from  his  morning  slumber  and  came  blinking 
into  the  sunshine — a  handsome  and  attractive 
beast  with  a  dark,  heavy  coat  and  picturesque 
white  and  amber  streaks  upon  the  sides  of  his 
face.  His  eyes  were  bright,  his  mouth  large 
and  his  teeth  long  and  glistening.  He  yawned 
and  stretched  his  hinder  limbs ;  then  he  sat 
beside  Arcadius,  on  a  flowery  bank  without  the 
cavern  ;  and  what  he  heard  soon  woke  him 
completely.  He  was  a  badger  of  more  than 
ordinary  intelligence,  who  had  often  spoken 
with  the  master  of  the  hillside,  and  knew 
something  about  the  human  race. 

Now  he  listened  in  growing  impatience,  and 
having  learned  all  there  was  to  know,  regarded 
Hilarion  with  an  angry  and  a  snarling  coun- 
tenance. 

"  This  holt,"  he  said,  "  is  mine  by  every 
honest  principle  ;  and,  as  a  badger  with  a  sense 
of  justice,  I  can  only  wonder  that  Arcadius 
Pomponius  has  allowed  himself  to  raise  any 
question  about  it.  I  will  answer  you  briefly, 
and  I  will  then  assume  the  offensive  and  put 

127 


PAN  AND  THE  TWINS 

certain  points  to  you  that  ought  to  clench  the 
matter.  To  begin  with,  I  won't  go — not  for 
fifty  hermits.  I  absolutely  and  finally  decline 
to  go.  I  found  this  place.  I  have  lived  here 
several  years  and  brought  up  three  families 
in  it.  I  have  made  it  what  it  is — a  home — 
and  if  my  wife  were  to  learn  there  was  any 
thought  of  leaving,  I  should  tremble  for  her 
reason.  So  much  for  that.  Only  force  ejects 
me,  and  I  know  Arcadius  too  well  to  believe 
that  he  would  employ  it.  There  are  thirty- 
four  other  caverns  upon  the  Pomponian 
estate " 

"  But  not  one  with  a  south  front  near 
running  water,"  explained  Arcadius  gently. 

"  Very  well  then  :  I  will  now  assume  the 
offensive,"  proceeded  the  badger.  "  What  I 
should  like  to  know  is  this  :  why  a  south 
front  ?  Why  running  water  ?  What  the  mis- 
chief does  this  holy  man  want  with  a  south 
front  and  a  stream  ?  You  tell  me  that  he  is 
one  who  scorns  comfort,  chooses  to  live  in  a 
cave  for  his  Maker's  glory  and  seeks  the 
hardest  possible  conditions  for  his  own  future 

128 


7HE  CAVERN  BT  THE  BROOK 

advantage.  That,  of  course,  is  his  business,  and 
if  he  is  going  to  get  well  rewarded  for  being  un- 
comfortable, I  say  nothing.  But  my  wife  and 
I  shall  win  no  rewards  for  enduring  terrestrial 
misery.  We  take,  therefore,  the  best  that  we 
can  get,  and  there  is  nothing  in  our  convictions 
that  frowns  on  a  cosy  establishment.  Pan 
showed  us  this  hole  and  was  glad  we  liked  it  ; 
so  if  you  fire  us  out,  you  quarrel  with  him. 
As  for  the  hermit,  if  he  wants  real  discomfort, 
why  a  cave  at  all  ?  To  be  logical,  he  ought  to 
live  in  the  open  all  the  time — winter  and 
summer.  It  might  shorten  his  life  ;  but  no 
doubt  that  would  be  all  to  the  good  from  his 
point  of  view." 

"  When  you  come  to  logic  you  interest  me," 
replied  Arcadius,  "  and  I  admit  the  force  of 
your  argument.  You  see  the  monk,  Hilarion, 
looks  forward  to  the  most  exaggerated  delights 
and  rewards  after  mortality  is  ended,  and  he 
proposes  to  prepare  himself  for  a  future  good 
time,  without  end,  by  having  a  present  bad 
time,  strictly  limited." 

"  Exactly,"  replied  the  badger.     "  Then  let 

K  129 


PAN  AND  THE  TWINS 

him  have  a  right  down  beastly  time  and  not 
paher  with  it.  Rub  that  into  him,  and  explain 
that  if  he's  got  the  courage  of  his  opinions,  he 
ought  to  go  and  live  on  the  top  of  the  hill, 
where  the  lightning  always  strikes.  There  he 
would  have  a  short  life  and  a  wretched  one, 
which  seems  to  be  the  summit  of  his  earthly 
ambition." 

But  when  these  things  were  explained  to 
Hilarion  he  evaded  the  dilemma  very  easily. 
He  was  not  a  religious  recluse  for  nothing,  and 
found  himself  more  than  equal  to  a  Pagan 
and  a  badger  when  it  came  to  dialectics. 

"  I  admire  your  quick  intellect,  dear 
brother,"  he  answered,  "  and  admit  that  this 
animal  seems  also  amazingly  clear-minded  in 
his  crude  way.  There  is,  however,  a  vast 
difference  between  theoretical  perfection  and 
practical  holy  living.  If  death  could  cut  the 
knot,  be  sure  I  should  not  be  seeking  the 
hospitality  of  this  limestone  cave  ;  and  were 
self-destruction  the  nearest  way  out,  I  had, 
of  course,  gone  to  my  reward  long  ago  in  North 
Africa.    But  you  argue  on  a  false  and  heretical 

130 


THE  CAVERN  BT  THE  BROOK 

assumption.      Suicide,    which    the    badger   so 
plainly  indicates,  is  no  part  of  a  Christian  ideal. 
To  destroy  myself,  by  braving  the  lightning, 
or  by  deliberately  ruining  my  health  in  some 
more  protracted  manner,  would  be  a  deadly 
sin  and  defeat  my  own  high  object.    I  am  not 
going  to  commit  suicide  as  a  short  cut  to  my 
heavenly  home,  because  such  an  act  would  not 
lead  me  there.    On  the  contrary  it  would  end 
at  somewhere  altogether  different.     The  true 
art  and  practice  of  the  judicious  anchorite  is 
this  :   to  live  as  long  as  he  possibly  can  and  as 
uncomfortably  as  he  possibly  can  ;  but  through 
no  deliberate  act  or  unreason  to  shorten  by  an 
hour  his  allotted  years.    The  more  misery  here, 
the  larger  the  reward  there  ;   so  we  must  look 
after  this  wretched  carnal  vessel,  nourish  and 
sustain  it  up  to  a  certain  point,  pander  to  its 
weakness  if  we  may  do  so  without  sin,  and 
thus  enable  it  to  hold  together  as  long  as  its 
Maker  originally  intended.     For  that  reason 
only  do  I  desire  a  place  in  the  sun,  for  since 
the  heathen  have  made  of  it  a  god,  I  naturally 
dislike  it;  but  because  warmth,  wholesome  food 

131 


PAN  AND  THE  TWINS 

and  a  dry  couch  will  help  to  preserve  me  for 
my  life-long  task  of  meditation,  communion 
and  self-denial." 

"  I  see  your  point,"  admitted  Arcadius. 

"  We're  not  going,  all  the  same,"  added  the 
badger. 

"  No,"  declared  Hilarion,  "  you  certainly 
do  not  go.  You  have  made  good  your  title 
to  this  retreat.  It  is  yours,  on  that  ground 
of  simple  justice  which  I  share  with  you.  It 
would  be  a  very  unhappy  home  for  me  if  I 
thought  of  you  driven  from  it.  The  cave  is 
yours  most  emphatically,  and  I  shall  now  set 
about  seeking  another.  Such  another  as  this 
I  do  not  expect  to  find  ;  but  that  is  my  affair. 
Rest  assured  I  am  a  friend — indeed  an  ad- 
mirer." 

Arcadius  translated  this,  and  the  badger 
replied  that  he  was  glad  the  monk  saw  it  so. 

"  At  the  same  time,"  continued  Hilarion, 
"  there  is  a  golden  mean,  which  we  might 
perhaps  explore  before  I  depart.  We  are  here 
confronted  not  with  one  cave,  but  two.  Had 
that  struck  you,  Arcadius  ?     The  badger  is  a 

132 


THE  CAVERN  BY  THE  BROOK 

nocturnal  animal ;  while  my  activities  are 
confined  to  the  day.  His  home  is  within  the 
seclusion  of  yonder  rock  ;  mine  would  be  as 
it  were  in  his  vestibule,  or  antechamber.  By 
day  he  lies  sequestered,  since  the  day  is  his 
night ;  while  when  the  moon  rises,  as  he  fares 
forth  with  his  better  half  upon  their  lawful 
occasions,  I  lie  on  my  pallet  in  slumber.  I 
only  give  you  this  idea  for  what  it  is  worth, 
but  upon  my  word  it  is  hard  to  see  why  we 
should  not  share  this  domicile  without  let  or 
hindrance  one  to  the  other.  I  should  have  the 
privilege  of  the  badgers'  sagacious  companion- 
ship ;  while  they,  in  return  for  granting  me  a 
lodging,  should  share  such  little  delicacies  and 
dainties  as  the  piety  and  good -will  of  the 
devotees  may  bring  to  my  board.  How  does 
the  idea  strike  you,  Arcadius  ?  " 

"  Admirable,"  answered  his  twin  brother, 
"  if  you  really  are  content  to  share  a  badger's 
holt  for  the  honour  of  your  Creator.  But 
how  it  will  strike  the  present  tenants  I  cannot 
tell  you." 

"  Put  it  to  him  as  nearly  in  my  words  as  you 

133 


PAN  AND  THE  TWINS 

can,"  answered  Hilarion.  "  Tact  is  everything 
in  a  matter  of  this  kind.  Dwell  on  the  delica- 
cies and  dainties." 

Arcadius,  who  was  also  a  tactful  person, 
made  a  good  case  and  indeed  went  farther 
than  his  brother  had  done. 

"  If  you  agree  to  this  suggestion,"  he  con- 
cluded, "  I  shall  make  it  my  business  to  keep 
this  holy  man  in  such  abundance  that  you  and 
your  wife  will  have  the  time  of  your  lives  and 
simply  wallow  in  the  fat  of  the  land." 

"  Plenty  of  eggs  ?  "  asked  the  badger. 

"  Dozens  daily,"  answered  Arcadius. 

"  He  may,  however,  want  them  all  himself, 
and  deny  us,"  hinted  the  badger. 

"  Have  no  fear  ;  he  is  a  hermit  of  unstained 
probity.  He  will  keep  his  promises  and  share 
and  share  alike." 

The  badger  began  to  yield,  though  sul- 
lenly. 

"  I  must  consult  my  wife,"  he  said,  and  called 
her. 

She  came — a  beautiful  and  comely  matron. 

"  An  extraordinary  offer  has  been  made  to 

134 


THE  CAVERN  BT  THE  BROOK 

us,"  began  her  husband.  Then  he  briefly 
explained  the  situation. 

"  We  can  but  try  it,"  said  his  wife,  who  was 
a  creature  of  placid  mind. 

"  There  will  be  a  great  deal  of  unpleasant 
pubHcity,"  grumbled  the  badger,  "  don't 
forget  that." 

"  Not  at  all,"  replied  Hilarion  with  assur- 
ance. "  The  devotees  will  only  visit  me  by 
daylight,  while  you  are  both  fast  asleep  ;  and 
when  you  wake  up  hungry,  I  shall  be  fast 
asleep,  and  a  delicious  repast  invariably  await- 
ing you." 

"  We  can  but  try  it,"  repeated  the  badger's 
wife. 

And  so  they  determined  to  do. 

The  badgers  went  back  to  bed  and  Hilarion 
unpacked  his  bundle.  He  arranged  the  skull 
on  a  ledge  near  the  entrance  of  the  cavern, 
spread  his  change  of  linen  on  a  dry  rock,  slipped 
his  manuscripts  into  a  cranny,  that  might  have 
been  made  for  them  ;    and  there  he  was. 

Arcadius  viewed  these  simple  operations 
doubtfully. 


PAN  AND  THE  TWINS 

"  Where  are  you  going  to  sleep  ?  "  he 
asked. 

"  I  shall  beg  a  goatskin  or  two  from  some 
kindly  peasant,"  answered  the  other,  "  and 
until  I  get  into  touch  with  the  folk,  I  shall 
make  my  couch  of  moss.  Indeed  this  sweet 
white  sand  is  good  enough." 

"  When  will  you  come  down  to  see  me 
again  ?  "  asked  his  brother. 

"  Never,"  replied  Hilarion  firmly.  "  In  all 
probability  for  the  rest  of  my  natural  life  I 
shall  not  stray  half  a  mile  from  this  spot.  Do 
you  perceive  how  admirably  it  is  chosen  ? 
Here  are  all  things  that  I  shall  ever  need.  The 
necessary  devotees  can  without  doubt  be 
counted  upon.  And  if  you  want  to  see  me, 
you  must  come  and  do  so.  I  shall  always  be 
ready  to  welcome  my  fellow-creatures  between 
noon  and  sunset." 

His  handsome  face  shone  with  ardour,  and 
Arcadius,  promising  to  send  up  a  bed  of  some 
sort,  a  warm  blanket  or  two  and  a  basket  of 
provisions,  went  his  way.  But  melancholy  was 
at  his  heart,  for  it  seemed  that  he  had  found 

136 


THE  CAVERN  BT  THE  BROOK 

and  lost  a  dear  brother  within  the  space  of 
four-and-twenty  hours. 

"  Don't  forget  the  badgers  !  "  cried  Hilarion 
cheerfully  to  the  departing  figure. 


137 


IX 

THE  CONFERT 

A  RCADIUS  loved  his  son  so  much  that 
/%  he  feh  the  difficulties  and  dangers  of 
jL  JLthe  child's  early  youth  almost  more 
than  did  Ceres.  And  thus  he  began  to  perceive 
the  truth  of  Pan  :  that  every  new  happiness 
brings  its  own  measure  of  an  emotion,  which 
may  indeed  not  sharpen  into  sorrow,  but  is 
none  the  less  to  be  described  as  sleepless  care. 
In  the  light  of  paternity  he  began  more  clearly 
to  perceive  the  sterile  ambitions  of  his  brother, 
and  while  he  loved  Hilarion  better  and  better 
as  their  acquaintance  ripened,  he  much  re- 
gretted the  young  hermit's  scheme  of  life  and 
thought  him  a  useful  man  wasted. 

A  day  came  when  Ceres  visited  her  brother- 
in-law,  and  so  like  was  he  to  her  own  husband 
that  she  could  not  choose  but  love  him.  He 
had  settled  down  with  great  content,  and  the 

138 


THE  CONVERT 

fame  of  him  was  soon  noised  abroad.  The  folk 
came,  at  first  out  of  curiosity,  expecting  that 
the  hermit  would  prove  a  dull  old  bird  and  no 
great  addition  to  the  hillside  from  their  point 
of  view  ;  but  when  they  found  him  young, 
exceedingly  handsome,  modest  on  the  subject 
of  his  own  accomplishments  and  with  a  kindly 
heart,  they  grew  interested,  attentive  and 
finally  rather  proud  of  the  new-comer.  The 
maidens  were  specially  drawn,  and  in  their 
ingenuous  fashion  brought  gifts  and  stopped 
to  pass  the  time  of  day.  They  struggled  among 
themselves  for  his  washing  and  mending,  and 
they  would  bring  him  embarrassing  presents, 
such  as  pillows  for  his  couch,  socks  for  his 
feet  and  various  other  little  creature  com- 
forts which  he  could  not  permit  himself  to 
accept. 

Very  soon  there  stole  a  shadow  into  his 
reflections,  for  something  told  him  that  the 
devotees  were  overdoing  it,  or  soon  would 
be.  He  was  not  striking  the  right  note.  He 
was  not  creating  that  spirit  of  awe  and  rever- 
ence,   or    setting    that    example    of    religious 

139 


PAN  AND  THE   TWINS 

austerity  that  he  had  proposed.  In  fact 
people  failed  to  take  him  quite  seriously.  He 
was  not  a  sanctified  recluse  so  much  as  a  rural 
entertainment.  The  people  came  happily, 
listened  to  his  wisdom,  thought  him  wonderful 
for  such  a  boy,  and  imparted  their  own  deeper 
sense  founded  on  a  lifetime  of  experience. 
Many  attached  great  importance  to  his 
opinions,  however,  and  several  joined  the  fold 
of  the  Church  at  his  advice.  He  gave  them 
little  addresses,  and  they  listened  attentively  ; 
but  in  process  of  time  he  found  that  the  older 
peasants  fell  away,  and,  inquiring  the  reason, 
learned  that  they  felt  him  too  young  in  holiness 
to  be  of  much  practical  service  to  their  newly 
found  souls.  They  had  quite  expected  him 
to  work  miracles  of  healing  and  he  declined 
even  to  try.  Of  course  he  pretended  to  no 
such  gifts  as  yet.  Therefore  it  came  about 
that  he  was  essentially  a  young  people's  hermit  ; 
for  young  people  will  be  young,  and  they 
cleave  to  youth  for  choice. 

He  accepted  the  position  wisely. 

"  We  will  grow  up  together,"  he  said,  "  and 

140 


THE  CONVERT 

increase  in  wisdom  and  understanding  as  the 
years  pass  over  us.  After  all,  there  is  no  reason 
why  the  odour  of  sanctity  should  be  reserved 
for  middle-age.  We  all  know  the  sort  of  goats 
who  join  the  sheep,  only  because  they  are  too 
old  to  pursue  their  goatish  amusements  any 
longer.  Indeed  it  is  easy  enough  to  be  a  sheep 
when  you  have  become  too  old  to  play  the 
goat.  I  will  be  the  anchorite  of  youth  !  I 
understand  young  people  and  am  at  least  quite 
wise  enough  and  good  enough  for  them.  We 
will  instruct  ourselves,  deny  ourselves,  and 
increase  in  righteousness  together." 

He  was  always  dignified,  and  made  it  clear 
that  he  stood  apart  from  the  ways  of  men. 
He  spent  a  great  measure  of  his  time  in 
private  devotion,  yet  showed  himself  as  ever 
ready  to  sympathise  with  innocent  enjoyment 
and  promote  lawful  happiness  in  so  far  as  he 
could  do  so. 

Then  came  Ceres,  and  she  took  a  deep  and 
sisterly  interest  in  him  from  the  first.  She 
was  charmed  with  Hilarion,  and  found  the 
monk  an  echo  of  her  husband,  but  by  no  means 

141 


PAN  AND  THE  TWINS 

that  alone.  While  he  reflected  the  beauty, 
vivacity  and  genial  spirit  of  Arcadius,  he  dis- 
played in  every  thought  that  which  his  brother 
concealed  :  a  deep  and  abiding  sense  of  the 
unseen  ;  and  this  lent  gravity  to  his  conver- 
sation and  weight  to  his  sentiments.  He  much 
admired  Ceres  also,  and  perceived  that,  despite 
her  great  beauty,  she  possessed  a  thoughtful 
mind  and  wide  sympathies.  She  delighted  to 
discuss  the  most  serious  subjects,  and  asked 
many  questions  respecting  the  Faith.  Arcadius, 
too,  satisfied  that  his  brother  was  enjoying  the 
restricted  life  that  he  had  chosen,  felt  at 
greater  ease  about  him,  though  the  more  he 
saw  of  Hilarion  and  the  oftener  he  listened  to 
his  pleasant  discourse,  the  more  he  regretted 
that  his  young  and  attractive  twin  brother 
had  reserved  for  his  God  those  gifts  which 
seemed  so  fitted  to  advance  the  welfare  of 
mankind. 

For  he  perceived,  without  jealousy,  that 
Hilarion  was  cleverer  than  himself.  The  Chris- 
tian hermit  had  been  severely  schooled,  and 
his  mind,  of  course,  took  its  proper  colour  ; 

142 


7 HE  CONVERT 

but  it  was  a  far-seeing  mind — or  so  it  appeared 
to  Arcadius.  Hilarion  had  a  gift  of  synthesis  : 
he  hnkcd  things  together  and  looked  far  ahead. 
He  felt  that  the  new  religion  was  in  the 
ascendant  ;  that  its  dawn  was  widening  into 
a  glorious  day ;  that  it  contained  the  seeds 
of  life  and  must  soon  sweep  the  nations 
into  one  glorious  communion  of  faith  and 
charity. 

"  It  will  alter  the  world,"  explained  Hilarion. 
"  It  will  abolish  war,  exalt  the  dignity  of  the 
human  race,  destroy  our  class  prejudices  and 
awaken  that  enthusiasm  for  suffering  humanity 
our  martyred  Master  came  to  teach  and  to 
preach.  A  time  is  near  when  the  Cross  will 
supplant  our  Roman  Eagles  ;  when  in  that 
Sign  alone  man  will  conquer — not  his  fellow- 
man — but  his  own  errors  of  greed  and  lust, 
hate  and  injustice." 

He  flowed  on  melodiously  in  this  fashion, 
and  Ceres  felt  that  if  it  were  known  Hilarion 
was  brother  of  Arcadius  and  a  Pomponian,  he 
might,  indeed,  make  a  success  of  his  religion 
in  the  highest  quarters. 

H3 


PAN  AND  THE  TWINS 

Many  merely  regarded  the  Man-God  as  very 
well  suited  to  the  poor  ;  but  the  brother-in-law 
of  Ceres  evidently  thought  his  cult  equally 
adapted  to  the  best  people  ;  and  she  pictured 
him  as  taking  Christ  to  the  patricians  and 
making  a  very  fruitful  business  of  it.  In 
sisterly  fashion  she  also  considered  the  cavern 
and  made  suggestions. 

"  Winter  is  coming  and  you  must  be  pre- 
pared," Ceres  told  Hilarion. 

She  was  tactful,  but  obstinate,  and  as  time 
went  on,  almost  before  he  realised  what  had 
happened,  the  anchorite  found  very  doubtful 
additions  creeping  into  his  cell.  Ceres  made 
such  a  favour  of  these  trifles  that  he  felt  it 
had  been  churlish  to  deny  her. 

"  I  think  as  much  of  myself  as  you,"  she 
said,  "  and  I  cannot  come  and  listen  to  you, 
or  bring  the  baby,  if  you  refuse  to  let 
me  hang  a  leathern  curtain  against  the 
draughts." 

"  Why  not  a  little  mason's  work  and  a  proper 
door  ?  "  asked  Arcadius,  but  this  Hilarion 
refused. 

144 


THE  CONVERT 

"  My  house  must  not  be  made  with  hands," 
he  expLiined  ;    "  besides — the  badgers." 

"  Well,  you  won't  come  to  us,  therefore  the 
least  that  you  can  do  is  to  let  it  be  possible  for 
us  to  come  to  you,"  urged  Ceres. 

He  granted  the  force  of  this  and  so,  little  by 
little,  the  cavern  became  habitable.  A  few 
chairs,  for  devotees,  a  Tyrian  rug  or  two,  a 
drinking  vessel,  platters,  an  ewer  for  washing, 
even  hair-brushes — all  these  crept  in. 

"  How's  your  landlord  ?  "  asked  Ceres  on  her 
third  visit. 

"  Both  he  and  his  wife  are  well,"  answered 
Hilarion.  "  Very  well  and  very  amiable — at 
least  the  female.  The  boar  continues  to  be  a 
boor.  He  says — I  understand  them  now — 
that  he  grows  too  fat  and  his  wife  too  lazy. 
He  declares  the  fine  privacy  of  the  place 
is  gone,  and  that  the  devotees  keep  him 
awake  when  he  ought  to  be  asleep.  This  is 
not  true,  for  nothing  ever  wakens  him  but 
hunger." 

"  There  is  no  pleasing  some  people,"  said 
Ceres. 

L  145 


PAN  AND  THE  TWINS 

She  was  alone  on  this  occasion,  and  Hilarion 
asked  after  his  brother. 

"  He  is  gone  to  see  the  Emperor,"  she  said. 
"  My  husband  feels  a  little  uneasy  about  him." 

"  Not  because  he  is  a  Christian,  I  hope  ?  " 

"  Oh  dear  no.  Arcadius  is  far  too  large- 
minded  to  let  that  influence  his  thoughts.  We 
are  all  Christians  now — or  nearly  all.  But 
Gratian  doesn't  seem  to  be  living  up  to  his 
high  promise." 

"  How  so  ?  From  my  point  of  view,  he  is. 
He  advances  the  faith  gloriously.  He  is  a 
pious  and  a  noble  prince." 

"  He  suffers  from  flatterers  and  other  para- 
sites. His  virtues  are  the  result  of  education, 
and  do  not  spring  from  the  heart — so  Arcadius 
fears.  He  has  grown  indolent  and  wants  to 
win  glory  without  working  for  it.  He  is  ill- 
advised  and  delegates  his  power  to  worthless 
people.  No  monarch  can  make  a  greater 
mistake  than  that.  His  conscience  is  directed 
by  saints  and  bishops ;  and  your  brother  fears 
that  this  may  lead  to  persecution  of  those  who 
do  not  think  as  Gratian  thinks." 

146 


THE  CONVERT 

"  A  delicate  subject,"  murmured  Hilarion. 
"  Probably  you  and  I  should  not  agree  upon  it, 
sister.  But  surely  Arcadius  will  not  dare  to 
say  these  things  to  the  sovereign  ?  " 

"  Certainly  he  will  not,"  replied  Ceres. 
"  Nobody  knows  better  which  way  the  wind 
blows  than  my  dear  husband.  But  he  and 
Gratian  are  very  good  friends  and  they  meet 
much  in  the  hunting  field.  The  Emperor  loves 
the  chase  and  knows  that  none  is  a  better 
companion  at  his  pastimes  than  Arcadius.  He 
has  helped  Gratian  to  lay  out  large  parks  and 
fill  them  with  fierce  and  dangerous  game. 
These  things  are  well  suited  to  a  country 
gentleman  without  any  higher  ambition  than 
to  be  happy — I  refer  to  Arcadius  unfor- 
tunately— but  he  is  the  first  to  see  that  an 
Emperor  should  take  a  larger  view.  To  desire 
supreme  excellence  in  a  pastime  which  his 
subjects  may  share  is  a  mean  ideal  for  Gratian." 

"  True,"  answered  Hilarion.  "  Yet  may  his 
hand  only  be  stained  with  the  blood  of  beasts. 
And  that  reminds  me,"  he  added,  "  I  have  not 
yet  caught  my  Friday  fish." 

147 


PAN  AND  THE  TWINS 

They  strolled  to  the  stream,  which  narrowed 
at  a  point  above  a  pool  and  then  leapt  down — 
from  rocks  draped  in  ferns  and  violets — into 
a  narrow  basin  beneath. 

"  A  miracle  of  a  modest  kind,"  explained  the 
anchorite,  "  for  in  this  tiny  pool  every  Thurs- 
day I  have  but  to  put  my  net  and  a  fat  carp 
rewards  me.  I  can  only  suppose  this  to  be  the 
work  of  Providence,  and  it  is,  of  course, 
gratifying.  Already  the  devotees  talk  of 
'  Hilarion's  fish.'  " 

Ceres,  however,  knew  more  about  the  matter 
than  he.  There  were  only  minnows  and 
sticklebacks  in  the  stream,  but  weekly  Arcadius 
had  directed  a  trusty  slave  to  convey  one  large 
red  carp  from  his  own  stew  pond  to  the  basin 
on  the  rivulet,  and  weekly  Hilarion  fished  it 
out,  in  ignorance  of  the  little  deception. 

Myths  will  often  spring  from  a  trifle  no 
greater  than  this ;  and  right  miracles  establish 
themselves  on  foundation  no  more  enduring 
than  a  practical  joke. 

"  When  are  you  going  to  bring  my  nephew 
to  see  me  ?  "  asked  the  brother-in-law  of  Ceres. 

148 


ii 


THE  CONFER! 

"  Next  spring  he  shall  come." 

"  What  is  his  name  ?  " 

''  You  ought  to  have  asked  that  question 
long  ago,"  replied  the  child's  mother.  "  He 
is  called  '  Victor  Marcus  Arcadius  Severus 
Pomponius.'  " 

And  what  do  you  call  him,  Ceres  ?  " 
We  call  him  '  Grillus,'  because  he  chirrups 
like  a  cricket,"  she  replied. 

"  By  the  time  he  reaches  man's  estate,  there 
will  not  be  a  Pagan  left  in  Italy,"  prophesied 
Hilarion. 

"  Very  likely,"  admitted  Ceres. 

He  talked  on  religious  subjects  and  she  lis- 
tened with  enthusiasm.  Her  heart  had  always 
inclined  to  transcendental  themes  ever  since 
her  childish  ambition  to  be  a  Vestal,  and  she 
was  already  at  heart  a  firm  believer  in  Hilarion's 
faith.  He  made  its  principles  attractive,  and 
while  dwelling  upon  their  beauty,  also  insisted 
that  the  Kingdom  was  much  nearer  at  hand 
than  people  imagined.  Success,  he  told  her, 
was  not  easy  ;  a  real  triumph  argued  self- 
denials,  sorrows,  tribulations.     He  perceived 

149 


PAN  AND  THE  TWINS 

that  this  side  of  the  picture  especially  attracted 
Ceres  ;  and  therefore  he  dwelt  upon  it.  He 
spoke  many  truer  things  than  he  knew  ;  but 
it  is  difficult  to  press  the  principle  of  martyr- 
dom while  a  creed  is  welcomed  with  rejoicings 
and  at  the  stage  of  its  triumphal  entry  into  the 
souls  of  men. 

In  the  case  of  Ceres,  however,  looking  for- 
ward, she  rather  saw  the  inevitable  self-denial 
and  affliction  under  her  own  roof.  Therefore 
she  hesitated  long  before  taking  the  plunge. 
Something  of  her  doubt,  on  the  occasion  of 
a  long  and  earnest  conversation  with  Hilarion, 
was  reflected  in  the  young  anchorite's  own 
heart. 

"  I  know  how  it  is  with  you  now,"  he  said, 
"  and  I  see  the  difficulty  very  clearly,  for  it  is 
probably  going  to  hit  me  at  least  as  hardly  as 
yourself.  If  you  were  to  tell  dear  Arcadius 
that  you  feel  strongly  prompted  to  become  a 
Christian,  he  would  naturally  ask  who  had 
strongly  prompted  you  ;  and  to  that  question 
there  could  be  but  one  reply." 

"  The  sole  difficulty  is  there,"  she  admitted. 

150 


THE  CONVERT 

"  Shall  I  sound  him  ?  " 

"  On  no  account.  You  have  awakened  my 
conscience,  Hilarion  ;  and  my  conscience  must 
solve  the  problem.  If  my  conscience  presently 
speaks  a  clear  word  on  the  subject  I  shall 
myself  acquaint  Arcadius  with  the  fact." 

"  This  is  what  I  meant  when  I  told  you  it 
wasn't  all  roses.  The  beatific  vision  is  only 
seen  through  tears,  my  sister." 

"  Yes,  I  know,"  said  Ceres.  "  But  they 
ought  to  be  your  own  tears.  True  religion  can 
never  be  selfish.  Arcadius,  for  example, 
doesn't  know  the  meaning  of  selfishness." 

And  at  the  end  of  the  year,  when  the 
weather  had  turned  harsh  and  Hilarion,  with 
a  cold  on  his  chest,  was  keeping  his  cell, 
Ceres  found  conscience  utter  no  uncertain 
word. 

She  broke  the  matter  to  Arcadius,  while  she 
sat  with  her  baby  on  her  lap  before  a  fire  of 
pine  cones  in  the  atrium,  and  he  was  placing 
a  bunch  of  autumn  crocuses  beside  his  father's 
statue. 

"  I  hope  Hilarion  is  better,"  he  remarked. 

151 


PAN  AND  THE  TWINS 

"  I  must  climb  up  and  see  him  to-morrow. 
There  ought  to  be  a  fire  in  his  den." 

"  He  is  better,"  she  answered.  "  I  sent  to 
inquire." 

"  Dear,  mad  fellow,"  said  Arcadius.  "  Won't 
see  a  physician,  though  I  should  have  directed 
Rufus  to  look  him  up  and  talk  sense  to  him 
to-morrow  had  there  been  no  improvement. 
Surely,  at  the  turn  of  the  year,  he  might 
leave  his  wretched  hole  and  lead  a  normal 
life  with  us  for  a  few  months  until  the  sun  is 
high  again." 

"  How  little  you  understand  him,  for  all 
your  love,"  she  said. 

"  It  takes  a  Christian  to  understand  a  Chris- 
tian no  doubt,"  admitted  Arcadius.  "  I  don't 
— I  admit  it." 

The  opportunity  was  good  and  Ceres 
spoke. 

In  two  minutes  and  a  half  she  had  informed 
Arcadius  that  she  wanted  to  join  his  brother's 
faith — indeed  had  already  done  so  in  spirit — 
and  hungered  and  thirsted  for  official  admission 
to  the  fold. 

152 


THE  CONVERT 

He  took  it  with  his  usual  large  humanity. 
Indeed  it  came  as  no  very  shattering  shock, 
for  where  Ceres  was  concerned,  love  sharpened 
her  husband's  wits,  and  in  his  devoted  relations 
with  her,  he  rose  to  heights  beyond  him  in 
every  other  connection  of  life. 

"  I  will  see  Pan,"  he  said.  "  Have  no  fear. 
These  things  must  be  as  they  will.  I  do  not 
think  that  he  will  let  you  be  a  Christian,  for 
these  are  not  days  when  a  god  can  lose  wor- 
shippers without  uneasiness  ;  but  we  may  very 
well  trust  him.  I  will  call  upon  him  in  his 
temple  and  ask  for  a  sign.  We  may  safely 
leave  it  to  him." 

"  And  you  won't  be  angry  with  Hilarion  ?  " 

"  No,"  answered  Arcadius,  " — not  unless 
my  God  directs  me  to  censure  him.  Pan's 
word,  as  you  know,  is  my  law." 

"  I  hope  little  from  him,"  confessed 
Ceres. 

"  You  have  trusted  him,  as  you  have  trusted 
me,"  answered  her  husband  ;  and  two  nights 
later,  by  the  blaze  of  pine  torches,  he  sacrificed, 
stated  the  case  before  the  altar  of  Pan's  temple 

153 


PAN  AND  THE  TWINS 

and  prayed  for  a  sign.  The  divinity,  however, 
came  himself  and  greeted  Arcadius  with  his 
usual  affection. 

"  Oh,  blessed  One,  it  is  good  to  behold  you 
again  !  "  cried  the  worshipper.  "  You  are 
never  far  from  my  thoughts  and  I  thank  you,  as 
you  know,  for  the  many  good  things  that 
happen  to  me.  I  thank  you  for  my  dear  wife, 
my  precious  son,  my  twin  brother,  who  by 
his  image  tells  me  more  about  myself  than  I 
ever  knew.  For  these  consummate  blessings  I 
adore  you  ;  but  now,  even  as  you  have  ever 
warned  me,  out  of  good  there  rises  the  threat 
of  things — I  will  not  say  evil,  but  highly  incon- 
venient. Hilarion,  as  you  know,  is  a  Christian 
and  has  his  own  ideas.  One  of  his  principles 
is  that  a  Christian  should  leave  no  stone  un- 
turned to  make  everybody  he  meets  a  Chris- 
tian :  he  told  me  frankly  that  this  was  an 
abiding  rule,  and,  perhaps  wrongly,  I  raised 
no  particular  objection.  But  a  most  awkward 
thing  has  happened.  I  have  felt  uneasy  these 
many  days,  yet  liked  not  to  drop  a  hint.  Now 
the  blow  descends  upon  me.    In  a  word  Ceres, 

154 


THE  CONVERT 

my  wife,  much  desires  to  be  baptised  into  the 
new  faith.  I  am  therefore  faced  with  two 
problems  involving  my  wife  and  my  brother. 
Shall  I  forbid  her  in  your  name  and  cast  my 
brother  out  for  daring  to  tamper  with  her 
faith  ?  Or  shall  I  accept  the  situation  ?  Your 
direction  will  determine  me." 

Pan  did  not  immediately  reply  to  these 
questions. 

"  I  have  observed  Hilarion,"  he  said,  ''  and 
sometimes,  when  none  was  by,  surveyed  him 
unseen.  He  is  a  good  young  man  and  lives  up 
to  his  convictions  honestly.  He  is  fired  with 
the  noblest  enthusiasm  and,  according  to  the 
light  that  is  in  him,  pursues  his  ideals  with 
a  pure  spirit.  But  in  my  experience  I  have 
never  observed  a  successful  solitary  at  his  age. 
The  usual  plan  is  to  sow  one's  wild  oats  in  the 
ordinary  manner  and  then,  having  proved  all 
things  and  found  them  dust  and  ashes,  to  seek 
that  which  is  better.  Hilarion  has  begun  at 
the  wrong  end.  Granted  that  he  never  had 
any  wild  oats  to  sow,  being  born  good — a  thief 
of  virtue  ;  but  there  still  remains  Nature,  and 

155 


PAN  AND  THE  TWINS 

Nature  forgets  nobody.  Neither  has  she  ever 
shown  the  least  consideration  for  the  gods. 
Now  Nature  has  not  forgotten  Hilarion,  and 
while  the  dear  lad  thinks  he  has  conquered  her 
and  trampled  her  under  his  feet,  the  truth  is 
that  up  to  the  present  time  Nature  has  not 
concentrated  upon  him.  She  is,  however, 
about  to  do  so.  Hilarion  will  in  fact,  from 
being  just  a  little  insipid,  begin  to  grow  much 
more  interesting.  I  am  fond  of  Hilarion.  I 
am  fond  of  everybody  who  is  in  earnest." 

"  You  cannot,  in  fact,  reach  saintship  by 
following  your  own  bent,  no  matter  how  noble 
that  bent  may  be  ?  "  asked  Arcadius. 

"  Of  saintship  I  know  nothing  ;  of  manhood 
everything,"  replied  Pan.  "  Hilarion  is  a  man 
and  a  good  one.  He  believes  himself  to  be  in 
the  right  ;  and  he  is  in  the  right  to  a  consider- 
able extent  ;  but  he  might  be  much  righter. 
So  might  you  ;  so  might  everybody — saints 
included.  By  all  means  permit  Ceres  to  become 
a  Christian — smile  on  it  ;  respect  her  pre- 
dilections ;  keep  her  up  to  the  mark.  None 
may  love   or  worship  one  god  if  her  soul  has 

156 


THE  CONVERT 

gone  out  to  another.  If  she  desires  to  be  a 
Christian,  Ceres  cannot  longer  call  herself  a 
Pagan,  and  lip  service  is  a  vain  thing — only 
poisoning  the  heart  of  such  as  offer  it. 

"  There  is  a  common  human  weakness  :  to 
imagine  that  your  own,  particular  age  has 
some  special  importance  in  the  progress  of 
affairs  ;  but,  for  once,  the  moment  really  is 
rather  insignificant.  In  opposition  to  the  great 
thinkers  of  Greece,  now  extinguished,  there 
rises  a  remarkable  new  concept,  and  the  desire 
for  eternity,  the  promise  of  an  endless  existence 
free  from  sorrow,  pain,  or  care  possesses  a  very 
natural  fascination  for  you  mortals.  This  is 
what  Christianity  has  to  offer — on  terms.  If 
it  knew  as  much  about  eternity  as  the  gods, 
mankind  might  possibly  pause  upon  this  quest, 
for  eternity  is  not  by  any  means  what  it 
imagines.  We  Olympians  understand  other- 
wise. But  meanwhile  the  usual  thing  is  going 
to  happen,  for  the  new  religion  will  prove,  as 
every  new  religion  proves,  that  the  gods  them- 
selves are  by  no  means  immortal  after  all. 
Gods  can  only  live  upon  the  tombs  of  other 

157 


PAN  AND  THE  TWINS 

gods,  and  as  we — myself  and  the  rest — take  our 
stations  above  the  vanished  divinities  of  the 
past,  so  now  it  is  our  turn  to  suffer  ecHpse  in 
the  morning  glory  of  the  new  faith.  There  is 
an  unwritten  law  that  every  generation  of 
mankind  will  have  the  gods  it  deserves,  and 
theology  is  simply  a  matter  of  education.  For 
the  next  two  thousand  and  one  hundred  years, 
Christianity  will  more  or  less  sufhce  human 
needs,  while  man's  present  state  of  ignorance  is 
slowly  illuminated.  After  that  the  god  idea 
must  become  more  shadowy  and  amorphous 
until  finally  it  evaporates  altogether.  Thinkers 
will  continue,  however,  to  make  and  display 
their  own  brain  images  of  the  gods  for  a  long 
time,  just  as  earlier  man  created  theirs  of  wood 
and  stone,  ivory  and  gold.  Moreover  to  speak 
of  one  God  is  vain,  since  every  human  heart 
capable  of  any  noble  concept  holds  its  own 
image  of  deity,  and  no  two  are  alike. 

"  There  are  curious  things  about  the  new 
religion,"  continued  Pan.  "  Strenuous  times 
are  coming.  The  Emperor  is  already  born  who 
will  murder  those  who  cleave  to  the  old  gods, 

158 


THE  convert: 

and  rivers  of  blood  must  drown,  hurricanes  of 
fire  must  consume,  not  merely  Pagans,  but 
countless  Christians  who  do  not  see  Christ 
with  the  eyes  of  authority.  The  Man  of 
Sorrows  he  is  rightly  called,  for  in  His  Name 
sorrows  unspeakable  will  come  ;  in  His  glory 
mankind  will  develop  a  ferocity  to  shame  the 
carnivora  ;  huge  armies  of  sanctified  creatures 
will  be  let  loose  on  earth  brandishing  the  keys 
of  Heaven  and  Hell ;  and,  in  a  fine  frenzy  of 
religion,  these  earnest  fellows  will  trample 
reason  under  their  feet,  spew  upon  philosophy 
and  create  a  chasm  in  human  progress — a  long 
and  agonising  night  lit  by  their  own  bale-fires 
— that  shall  endure  until  sickened  and  tor- 
mented man  tears  himself  out  of  their  clutches. 
And  all  will  be  done  in  the  name  of  the  Prince 
of  Peace,  the  Spirit  of  Righteousness,  the 
Father  of  Love — Three  Gods  in  One  and  One 
in  Three." 

"  What  about  liberty  of  conscience  ?  "  asked 
Arcadius  blankly. 

"  His  conscience  will  no  longer  be  in  any- 
body's keeping,"  answered  Pan  ;    "  his  fellow- 

159 


PAN  AND  THE  TWINS 

man,  turned  priest,  will  demand  it  from  him 
on  pain  of  everlasting  damnation." 

"  My  brother  says,  '  The  Letter  killeth.'  " 
"  He  is  quite  right  :  it  will  kill  many 
hundreds  of  thousands.  And  it  will  kill 
thousands  who  merely  differ  about  the  Letter 
itself,  seeing  that  the  Letter  of  Christianity 
can  never  be  determined  so  long  as  it  endures. 
The  thing  itself  is  protean  and  takes  varied 
forms,  turning  not  a  few  of  your  Italian  tute- 
lary deities  into  its  own  saints  and  taming  the 
theogonies  of  the  Orient  to  its  purpose.  A 
babel  of  interpretation  will  swiftly  smother 
its  content  of  value.  Yet  Christianity  has 
come  into  a  civilisation  that  promised  much. 
It  inherits  a  great  literature,  a  noble  juris- 
prudence and  a  developing  sense  of  social 
existence  ;  but  in  five  centuries  the  literature 
will  only  exist  in  fragments,  the  jurisprudence 
will  sink  to  trial  by  ordeal  and  other  fetich 
substitutes  for  law,  and  the  dawning  social 
science  be  forgot.  In  fact  these  tremendous 
fellows  are  going  to  make  the  world  so  undig- 
nified, dangerous  and  disgusting,  that  in  self- 

i6o 


THE  CONVERT 

defence  man  must  transfer  his  stricken  hopes 
to  another.  That  is  their  purpose  :  to  kill 
earth  and  the  joy  thereof  until  man's  days 
sink  to  no  more  than  a  bitter  pilgrimage." 

"  Sultry  times  appear  to  be  coming,"  said 
Arcadius.  "  But  why  should  my  wife  join 
this  difficult  community  ?  " 

"  She  is  safe.  These  things  will  not  happen 
in  her  life,"  repHed  the  God.  "  Christianity 
is  still  so  near  its  fountains  that  the  river  of 
healing  may  flow  harmlessly  for  her.  She  can 
live  and  die,  not  without  sad  visions,  or  awful 
questionings,  yet  safe  in  her  own  peace." 

"  I  at  least  am  yours,"  answered  the  young 
man.  "  And  I  hope  you  will  last  my  time. 
Great  Friend." 

"  Have  no  fear,"  promised  Pan.  "  You 
may  count  upon  me.  Of  all  the  gods  I  antici- 
pate extinction  with  least  concern.  So  long 
as  I  am  in  a  human  heart,  I  abide  its  questions. 
Of  this  more  on  another  occasion.  Now  bid 
Ceres  lift  up  her  spirit  and  be  a  good  and 
faithful  Christian  ;  and  censure  not  Hilarion. 
As  yet  he  knows  happiness  as  the  earth-worm 
M  i6i 


PAN  AND  THE  TWINS 

knows  it,  who  has  never  seen  the  sunshine. 
Presently  the  sun  will  rise  for  him  also,  and  we 
may  catch  the  excellent  lad  blinking  a  little. 
All  shall  be  well,  for  I  forget  not  your  twin 
brother.  It  is  a  trick  of  the  gods  to  believe  in 
many  who  do  not  believe  in  them." 

With  that  the  puck-nosed  deity  was  gone, 
and  in  some  amazement  and  confusion  at  all 
he  had  heard,  Arcadius  returned  to  his 
family. 

With  uneasy  instinct  he  clutched  his  son 
to  his  bosom — surely  the  little  one  must  ever 
love  and  worship  Pan — but  he  spoke  cheerfully 
to  Ceres  and  declared  that  his  god  had  no 
objection  whatever  to  her  ambitions. 

"  Be  a  Christian,  my  dear  ;  and  be  a  good 
one,"  he  said.  "  Pan  approves  of  your  deter- 
mination and  thinks  no  worse  of  Hilarion  for 
converting  you.  Don't,  however,  try  to  con- 
vert me,  for  that  would  be  the  height  of  in- 
gratitude and  might  wake  in  my  heart  emotions 
I  hope  will  never  rise  there." 

"  I  shouldn't  dream  of  such  a  thing,  my 
dear  husband,"  repHed  Ceres.     "  Pray  for  you 

162 


THE  CONVERT 

I  must  always ;   and  I  shall  pray  for  good  Pan 
also." 

"  One  prays  to  a  god,  not  for  him,"  repHed 
Arcadius,  and  Ceres  smiled  and  kissed  him  on 
both  cheeks. 

"  You  don't  know  what  Christianity  can  do 
yet,"  she  said. 

"  Pan  apparently  does,  however,"  he  re- 
sponded. 


163 


X 

TRAGEDT 

ON  the  first  of  March  were  celebrated 
the  Matronalia,  the  female  Kalends, 
held  in  honour  of  those  august  women 
who  put  an  end  to  the  Sabine  war.  Now  the 
ladies  received  a  return  for  their  own  gifts 
at  the  Saturnalia  of  December,  and  it  was  the 
custom  that  their  husbands,  lovers  and  friends 
should  bring  handsome  presents  upon  this 
festival. 

Her  spouse  had  given  Ceres  a  necklace  of 
emeralds  and  Hilarion  also  had  promised  her 
something,  concerning  which  she  felt  curious, 
for  what  had  Hilarion  to  give  anybody  ?  But 
the  little  matter  of  the  Matronalia  was  not 
much  in  their  thoughts,  since  a  far  greater 
event  happened  to  be  at  hand. 

Now  Arcadius  climbed  to  see  his  brother 
while  the  East  wind's  enchantment  was  over 

164 


TRAGEDT 

all  things.  For  Eurus  is  a  rare  painter  and  can 
do  more  with  his  pigments  upon  the  naked 
sky  than  Zephyr,  for  all  those  peaks  and 
pinnacles  of  cloud  that  he  lifts  from  old  ocean. 
The  East  Wind  knows  not  the  crystal  clarity 
of  rain-soaked  air.  He  works  with  dry  brushes 
and  hides  the  horizon  under  magic  colours,  so 
that  though  earth  curdle  beneath  his  stroke, 
the  woods  ache  through  and  through,  the 
waters  show  their  teeth,  the  cattle  turn  their 
shivering  backs,  yet  aloft  float  fairy  feathers 
and  the  hills  lie  under  tender  veils  and  gauzes. 
The  tyrant  loves  to  go  in  delicate  raiment  of 
azure,  silver,  rose,  draped  Orient-wise  over  his 
steely  bosom  ;  his  dagger  leaps  from  a  sheath 
of  pearl  and  opal,  and  he  smiles  while  he 
stabs. 

Thus  thought  Arcadius  as  he  drew  a  sheep- 
skin about  him  and  climbed  upward  through 
the  mastic  and  lavender  and  myrtle  scrub  until 
he  reached  his  brother's  home.  Hilarion  was 
on  his  knees  and  he  rose  in  some  concern,  for 
the  visitor  greeted  him  with  such  asperity  of 
tone  that  he  grew  fearful.     But  there  was  no 

165 


PAN  AND  THE  TWINS 

need,  and  for  once  the  voice  of  conscience 
happened  to  be  mistaken.  Only  a  nip  of  the 
East  wind  had  touched  Arcadius. 

"  Rise  from  your  prayer  and  draw  the 
curtain  against  this  infernal  blast,"  he  said. 
"  Excuse  me  for  striking  into  your  medita- 
tions ;    but  there  is  a  good  reason." 

"  You  do  nothing  without  reason,  brother," 
replied  Hilarion,  pulling  the  curtain  and  bring- 
ing a  rug  of  wolf-skin  for  his  pallet.  "  Wrap 
this  about  you.    Shall  I  make  a  fire  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  answered  Arcadius,  "  make  a  fire  by 
all  means — not  for  me,  but  for  tenderer  souls 
who  design  to  visit  you  presently.  Ceres  and 
her  cousin,  Erotion,  ascend  anon,  that  you 
may  give  my  wife  her  promised  gift.  You  look 
down  in  the  mouth  this  morning.  Another 
cold  ?  " 

"  No,"  answered  Hilarion  rather  sadly.  "  I 
am  not  cold  enough.  It  is  borne  in  upon  me, 
brother,  that  my  life  falls  short  of  what  it 
should  be.  Day  by  day  the  conviction  grows. 
I    am    uneasy   and    suffer   from    a    bad    con- 


science." 


1 66 


TRAGEDT 

Arcadius  showed  interest. 

"  What  is  this  Christian  malady  of  a  bad 
conscience  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  I  must  go,"  answered  Hilarion  ignoring 
the  question.  "  No,  it  is  not  the  East  wind. 
The  wind  is  tonic,  wholesome.  It  tells  the 
truth  to  mc  in  its  trenchant  and  penetrating 
way.  You  bid  me  to  draw  the  curtain,  Arca- 
dius, and  I  draw  it.  But  that — I  was  going  to 
say  '  accursed  ' — curtain  is  a  symbol  of  much 
more  important  things  than  itself." 

At  this  moment  the  badgers  emerged  from 
their  arcanum.  They  were  immensely  sleek, 
plump  and  prosperous. 

"  My  husband  ate  too  much  pickled  anchovy 
last  night,"  explained  the  badger's  wife  placidly. 
"  So  we're  just  going  out  in  the  air  a  bit  to 
pull  him  together." 

They  shuffled  off  and  Hilarion's  lustrous 
eyes  regarded  them  sadly. 

I  am  like  those  poor  brutes,"  he  declared. 

I  am  comfortable,  prosperous,  putting  on 
weight  at  every  meal.  Instead  of  growing 
thinner,  I  grow  fatter  ;   instead  of  feeling  my 

167 


PAN  AND  THE  TWINS 

flesh  become  more  and  more  a  vesture,  from 
which  I  shall  be  glad  to  escape,  I  find  myself 
hale  and  hearty  and  sound  as  a  nut — not  a 
weak  spot,  not  an  ache  or  pain.  This  is  all 
wrong.  One  ought,  physically,  to  go  down 
the  hill  as,  spiritually,  one  goes  up  it.  Instead 
— well,  look  at  me.  I  am  more  like  you  than 
ever — even  harder  and  tougher  than  you." 

Arcadius  laughed. 

"  The  result  of  a  blameless  life,"  he  declared. 
"  You  can't  have  it  both  ways,  dear  brother. 
The  average  recluse  generally  looks  on  the  wine 
when  it  is  red,  and  gathers  a  few  rosebuds 
where  he  may,  ere  he  assumes  the  cord  and 
cowl,  and  shaves  his  top-knot.  He  has  laid  in 
his  rheumatism  and  sciatica  before  he  started  ; 
but  Nature  is  a  plain  dealer  and  eminently 
just.  You  must  not  expect  to  suffer,  if  you 
and  your  parents  before  you  have  done  nothing 
to  suffer  for.  That  is  where  the  Eternal 
Mother  appears  so  much  fairer  than  ourselves. 
Cheer  up,  however  ;  and  be  sure  there's  a  bad 
time  coming." 

Hilarion   shook  his   head  and  repeated  his 

i68 


TRAGEDT 

determination  to  depart  and  seek  more  arid 
circumstances  and  severer  discipline. 

Then  his  brother  told  him  the  great  news. 

"  Pan  has  no  quarrel  with  your  recent  activi- 
ties," he  announced.  "  I  refer  to  Ceres.  Of 
course  I  knew  that  you  were  trying  to  make 
her  a  Christian  with  all  your  might ;  and  now 
you  have  succeeded.  She  is  a  Christian  down 
to  her  toes,  and  I  hope  good  may  come  of 
it." 

"  Pan  doesn't  mind  !  "  exclaimed  Hilarion. 

"  Not  in  the  least.  Believe  in  my  god  or 
no,  this  you  must  own  :  that  he  is  large- 
minded,  tolerant  and  generous  to  all  created 
things." 

Hilarion,  however,  felt  a  Uttle  suspicious. 

"  There's  no  catch  in  this  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  None — unless  it  be  for  Ceres.  I  hope 
Christianity  will  prove  a  great  catch  in  every 
way  for  her.  I  rejoice  to  see  her  happy,  and 
she  is  gloriously  happy  as  a  result  of  my  agree- 
ment with  her  desires." 

"  It  is  like  yourself  to  take  this  exalted  line," 
murmured  Hilarion  in  some  emotion.     "  You 

169 


PAN  AND  THE  TWINS 

will  never  forget  it,  dear  brother.  By  their 
light  ye  shall  know  them.  Ceres  will  go  from 
strength  to  strength." 

"  She  couldn't  be  a  better  woman  than  she 
is,"  declared  Arcadius.  "  A  good  wife  and  a 
good  house-wife,  a  perfect  mother,  charitable 
to  the  needy,  sympathetic  to  the  weak  and 
patient  with  the  pig-headed — a  noble  character 
in  fact.    I  have  never  seen  such  another." 

"  She  will  rise  to  still  greater  heights," 
prophesied  Hilarion.  "  You  have  done  me 
much  good,  banished  idle  fears,  heartened  me 
to  wrestle  with  my  own  doubts  and  difficulties. 
My  gift  for  Ceres  was  my  most  treasured 
missal — the  Epistle  of  our  St.  James.  But  I 
did  not  intend  to  give  it  her  until  I  had  asked 
your  permission." 

"  Certainly,  certainly,"  replied  Arcadius. 
"  Give  her  anything  but  that  death's  head. 
And  if  you  would  permit  this  relic  of  a  man 
who  has  breathed  and  lived  and  hoped  and 
desired  happiness  as  much  as  we  do — if  you 
would  allow  that  fragment  of  what  was  once 
one  of  us,   and  therefore  worthy  of  decent 

170 


JRAGEDT 

burial,  to  return  to  earth,  I  should  regard  it  as 
a  favour.  Christianity  is  overdoing  this  rag 
and  bone  business." 

Thus  one  by  one  Hilarion's  httle  comforts 
sHpped  away  from  him.  Under  the  circum- 
stances and  at  such  a  moment  it  had  been 
churlish  to  deny  his  brother's  request.  And 
yet  the  skull  was  more  than  a  mere  skull  to 
him.  He  entertained  a  real  friendship  for  the 
relic  :  the  withered  bone  had  received  many 
confidences  and  become  in  some  sort  his 
familiar.    Now,  however,  he  did  not  hesitate. 

"  You  are  right,"  he  admitted.  "  You  have 
a  clean,  Roman  way  of  regarding  things,  and 
much  that  a  monk  takes  for  granted  may, 
perhaps,  admit  of  question.  With  all  its  errors 
Paganism  never  traded  in  hairs  from  the  head 
of  Jupiter,  or  parings  from  Aphrodite's  finger- 
nail. But  think  not  that  Christianity  is  less 
logical  and  pure-minded  than  any  other  creed. 
Charity  is  our  watchword  and  humility  our 
countersign.  I  will  bury  my  skull,  and  I  wish 
it  were  possible  to  take  it  back  to  the  Egyptian 
desert  whereon  I  found  it,  that  its  ultimate 

171 


PAN  AND  THE  TWINS 

reunion  with  fellow-fragments  might  be  more 
readily  effected  when  the  coming  Trump  shall 
sound.  These  details,  however,  may  be  safely- 
left  to  the  Creator  of  us  all.  I  will  inter  this 
emblem  of  mortality  under  the  crocuses  and 
utter  a  becoming  prayer." 

"  Do,"  said  his  twin  brother. 

They  parted  with  utmost  affection  and, 
later  in  the  day,  slaves  brought  up  a  litter  from 
which  emerged  Ceres  and  her  cousin,  Erotion. 
The  latter  was  but  seventeen  and  exquisitely 
beautiful.  Princes  had  desired  to  wed  this 
girl,  yet  a  certain  trait,  common  to  the  maidens 
of  her  race,  distinguished  her.  She  was  seriously 
minded,  entertained  no  great  regard  for  man 
and  desired  goodness  rather  than  experience. 
This  ideal  at  seventeen,  manifested  in  one  with 
violet  eyes,  hair  like  autumn  gold  and  a  lovely 
face,  after  the  impassive  perfection  of  the 
Greek,  was  matter  for  amazement.  Her  parents 
— worldly  people — held  Erotion  to  be  a  change- 
ling ;  but  Ceres  adored  her,  saw  her  own 
opinions  and  ideals  reflected  in  the  beautiful 
child  and  hoped  for  her  a  future  of  intellectual 

172 


7RAGED7^ 

distinction  akin  to  the  learned  females  of  Attic 
renown,  yet  innocent  of  certain  undesirable 
features  recorded  concerning  them. 

And  now,  joyous  above  measure  in  her  newly 
found  liberty  to  join  Hilarion  on  the  plane  of 
his  religion,  Ceres  already  began  to  sec  in 
Erotion  another  convert.  Converted  she  must 
be  without  delay,  and  who  more  likely  to  accom- 
plish the  task  than  the  brother  of  Arcadius  ? 
Indeed  not  a  shadow  clouded  this  ambition. 
The  cousin  of  Ceres  had  already  harkened  to 
the  new  teachers  and  declined  to  go  with  her 
parents  to  the  cosy  temple  of  Vesta  by  Tiber, 
where  the  little  they  did  in  this  line  was  done. 
Erotion  possessed  the  Christian  virtues  as  a 
precious  gift  from  Providence,  and  it  remained 
only  for  her  to  learn  the  beauty,  mystery  and 
pathos  of  Hilarion's  glorious  evangel  to  receive 
it  with  gratitude  if  not  passion. 

Ceres  was  right.  Erotion  perceived  the  joy 
which  now  irradiated  the  countenance  of  her 
cousin  and,  indeed,  as  they  sat  together  in  the 
litter  covered  with  the  skins  of  tiger  and  bear, 
the  Christian  girl  had  already  lighted  the  first 

173 


PAN  AND  7HE  TWINS 

spark  of  a  flame  that  her  brother-in-law  would 
quickly  kindle  to  a  blaze. 

They  joined  him  presently  and  he  blessed 
Ceres  and  welcomed  her  to  the  bosom  of  the 
Church.  He  was  full  of  plans  for  her  formal 
reception,  and  then  he  turned  to  her  cousin 
and  from  his  heart  spoke  comfortable  and 
eloquent  words. 

Erotion  struck  without  a  struggle,  for 
Hilarion  excelled  himself.  The  badgers,  after 
their  Httle  airing,  sneaked  back  to  their  estab- 
lishment utterly  unobserved  before  the  en- 
thralling splendour  of  his  exposition. 

To  be  plain,  Erotion  was  converted  in  five 
minutes ;  then  they  discussed  worldly  things 
and  how  Marcus  Severus  Pomponius  was 
prospering  with  his  teeth. 

Hilarion  blessed  them  both,  and  they 
promised  to  see  him  again  on  the  following 
Wednesday ;  but  twenty-four  hours  later, 
Erotion,  with  that  stark  absence  of  any  coquetry 
which  marked  her  character,  came  up  again 
quite  alone  and  enjoyed  another  long  conver- 
sation on  her  own  account. 


TRAGEDT 

To  Hilarion  it  seemed  not  twenty-four 
hours,  but  twenty-four  years  since  he  had  seen 
her.  She  brought  him  some  difficulties  and 
he  solved  them  ;  she  put  to  him  a  number  of 
intelligent  questions  and  he  answered  them. 
At  last  both  sank  into  silence  and  merely  sat 
humbly  looking  into  each  other's  eyes.  They 
were  two  pairs  of  the  most  beautiful  eyes  in 
Italy,  and  each  thought  the  other  pair  the 
loveliest  things  that  life  had  ever  revealed. 

Erotion  rose  to  depart,  and  Hilarion  went 
half  a  mile  out  of  bounds  to  see  her  on  the  path. 
He  was  suddenly  alarmed  for  her,  that  a  rude 
beast  might  accost  her,  or  a  stone  slip  under 
her  delicate  feet.  Indeed  he  would  not  let 
her  go  until  a  peasant  passed  that  way  and  was 
directed  to  escort  her  back  to  the  villa. 

She  came  again  with  Ceres,  with  Arcadius, 
by  herself  ;  and  he  liked  best  the  visits  when 
she  approached  him  unattended. 

Familiar  phenomena  now  overgot  Hilarion. 
He  found  himself  on  several  occasions  sighing 
to  the  moon,  who,  as  she  swam  into  the  un- 
clouded sky,  was  as  white  as  the  shoulder  of 

175 


PAN  AND  THE  TWINS 

Erotion.  That  came  out  of  Horace — an 
unbeliever.  He  remembered  something  else 
in  Horace — a  poet  who  had  given  him  pleasure 
in  the  past  on  the  lips  of  a  literate  though 
earthy  monk.  "  Soften  life's  crosses  with  a 
smile,  for  there's  nothing  happy  on  every 
side."  Yet  what  were  these  emotions — not 
happy  certainly,  but  ineffable,  precious,  yearn- 
ing— moony  ?  And  what  the  mischief  had  he 
to  do  with  the  pagan  moon,  or  the  moon  with 
him  ? 

Spring  was  now  in  the  air.  Life  sought  its 
mate.  Even  the  badgers  were  giggling  and 
talking  nonsense  to  each  other.  Every  bird 
carried  a  twig,  or  a  wisp  of  wool  from  the 
thorny  sheep-track  ;  the  young  devotees  came 
in  couples — boy  and  girl  together — and  looked 
more  at  each  other  than  at  him.  He  missed  his 
skull  and  was  in  a  mind  to  dig  it  up  again.  Per- 
haps it  might  help  him  to  banish  this  phantom 
in  a  crocus-coloured  gown,  with  violet  eyes  and 
a  voice  like  the  wood  doves.  The  brook, 
whence  he  drew  his  weekly  carp,  murmured 
one  word  monotonously  ;    and  whereas  it  had 

176 


TRAGEDY 

been  wont  to  sing  inspiriting  early  Christian 
canticles,  now  the  crystal  could  babble  but  a 
single,  blessed  name.  "  Erotion  " — "  Erotion  " 
it  throbbed,  and  the  lark  on  high  tinkled 
"  Erotion "  ;  the  nightingale  cried  her  at 
twilight ;  and  even  the  raven  croaked  of  her 
as  he  flew  heavily  high  overhead.  The  spring 
flowers  also  wrote  "  Erotion  "  upon  the  herb- 
age, and  by  night  the  galaxies  of  heaven 
spelled  her  name  across  the  sky. 

Hilarion  wrestled  with  this  unparalleled 
experience  and  certainly  did  grow  thinner  ; 
but  he  could  not  banish  the  maiden  from  his 
mind,  and  since  he  had  ever  been  a  man 
of  austere  principles  who  never  looked  twice 
at,  or  thought  twice  about  a  girl,  the  flame  of 
this  arrow,  sped  through  his  monkish  habit  by 
Cupid,  burned  with  a  mordant  intensity  that 
confounded  him. 

When  Erotion  came  for  more  Light,  his 
knees  turned  to  water,  and  while  she  could  not 
fail  to  perceive  his  increasing  pallor,  for  his 
part  he  observed  that  a  new  loveliness  sat  upon 
her  countenance.  She  told  him  one  day,  in 
N  177 


PAN  AND  THE  TWINS 

faltering  words,  that  her  visit  to  Ceres  was 
about  to  end. 

"  Don't  go — don't  go,"  he  said,  and  mar- 
velled what  strange  voice  spoke  within  him. 

"  I  don't  want  to  ;  but  there  is  nothing  to 
keep  me  longer.  It  will  be  better — wiser  to 
return  home,"  she  answered. 

He  saw  her  to  the  very  gates  of  the  villa, 
exacted  a  promise  that  she  would  come  once 
again  before  she  departed,  and  so  far  forgot 
himself  as  to  kneel  and  kiss  the  hem  of  her 
robe. 

Then  he  tottered  back  to  his  cave,  and 
reaching  it,  fell  trembling  upon  the  silver 
sand  of  the  floor.  He  had  at  last  found  out 
what  was  the  matter  and  now  voiced  his  awful 
discovery  in  hollow  accents  that  echoed  in 
despair  among  the  crannies  of  the  grotto. 

"  Good  God — I'm  in  love  !  "  cried  the  dumb- 
foundered  hermit ;  and  he  devoted  all  that 
night  to  devising  penitential  exercises. 


178 


XI 
A  COMPACT 

MANY  moons  waxed  and  waned  before 
Hilarion  heard  more  of  his  family  or 
indeed  saw  a  soul  from  thePomponian 
villa.  He  began  to  be  seriously  concerned, 
therefore,  and  after  the  first  long-drawn  pang, 
suffered  when  Erotion  came  not  to  say  "  fare- 
well," as  she  had  promised,  her  memory  settled 
as  a  dead  weight  upon  his  heart  and  he  only 
roused  himself  with  painful  effort  to  minister 
to  his  devotees  as  usual.  But  concerning  his 
brother  also,  no  direct  word  reached  him, 
though  the  absence  of  Arcadius  was  in  a 
measure  explained.  For  there  came  evil  news 
of  the  State.  Gratian  had  fallen  far  below  his 
early  omens  and  the  monarch  now  grew  into  a 
reproach  rather  than  a  promise.  He  even 
condescended  to  appear  publicly  in  the  un- 
couth fur  garments  of  a  Scythian  savage,  and 

179 


PAN  AND  THE  TWINS 

his  love  for  the  chase  first  brought  shame,  then 
scorn  to  his  legions.  Murmurs  thrilled  the 
ranks  of  the  Western  armies,  and  presently  a 
man  renowned  in  war,  one  Maximus,  a 
Spaniard,  was  lifted  to  the  purple  and  invited 
to  accept  the  Empire  by  a  soldiery  ignorant  of 
his  true  qualities.  Thus  the  rude  isle  of  Britain 
saw  a  Roman  emperor  accept  his  destiny  ;  and 
not  only  did  the  might  of  that  island  support 
Maximus,  but  all  Gaul  quickly  received  his 
sovereignty.  Gratian,  making  war  at  the  time 
against  wild  animals  in  the  neighbourhood  of 
Paris,  quickly  fled  to  the  South  ;  but  his 
course  was  stayed  at  Lyons,  and  before  he 
could  summon  the  forces  of  Italy  against  the 
usurper,  he  perished  under  a  treacherous 
sword. 

Maximus,  not  content  with  a  share  of  empire, 
now  aimed  at  Italy  ;  and  in  his  turn  he  fell,  for 
Theodosius,  the  Emperor  of  the  East,  proved 
faithful  to  the  family  of  Gratian.  Nigh 
Aquilea  perished  the  upstart,  Maximus,  and 
with  him  fell  his  son  ;  but  the  generosity  of 
a  Christian  conqueror  supported  the  traitor's 

1 80 


A  COMPACT 

aged  mother  and  orphan  daughters.  Thus 
goodness  and  evil  are  mixed  in  the  chaHce  that 
holds  a  great  man.  The  first  Valentinian  had 
illustrated  this  rule,  and  Theodosius,  who 
abounded  in  the  highest  virtues  and  could 
pardon  the  citizens  of  Antioch  their  crimes, 
yet  inhumanly  massacred  the  Thessalonians. 
There  is  ever  an  ingredient  in  princes  that 
escapes  historian  or  biographer  ;  but  which, 
denied  us,  renders  reconciliation  of  their 
contradictions    impossible. 

Now  the  second  Valentinian  reigned  in 
Gratian's  stead,  and  Arcadius  had  secretly 
hoped  that  the  new  monarch  might  annul 
various  edicts  of  his  dead  brother  and  return 
to  the  Pagan  priesthood  certain  valued  allow- 
ances and  privileges  of  late  taken  away  from 
them.  But  he  reckoned  without  the  Christian 
hierarchy,  daily  growing  more  powerful.  The 
Churchman  Ambrose,  now  towered  upon  the 
shining  horizons  of  the  new  Faith,  and  a  mind 
capable  of  influencing  the  mighty  Theodosius, 
swiftly  dominated  the  amiable  and  pious  lad 
who  for  a  moment  ruled  Italy.    The  old  gods 

i8i 


PAN  AND  THE  TWINS 

were  being  routed  on  every  hand  and  their 
temples  closed  or  opened  anew  in  the  name  of 
Christ. 

Gloomed  by  these  things,  which  had  only 
reached  Hilarion  fitfully  from  the  mouths  of 
peasants,  Arcadius  remembered  his  brother, 
and  upon  a  sad-coloured  day  of  mist  and  silence 
he  climbed  the  hills  and  appeared  before  the 
cavern, 

"  I  have  done  ill  to  be  absent  so  long,"  he 
said,  "  but  you  were  seldom  out  of  my  thoughts 
though  affairs  and  tribulations  have  kept  me 
from  you.  They  were  not  always  such  that  I 
could  expect  you  to  share  my  sorrow." 

Hilarion  embraced  his  brother. 

"  All  is  well  with  Ceres  and  the  boy  ?  " 

"  All  is  quite  well  with  them." 

"  And — and  Erotion,  your  kinswoman  ?  " 

"  We  will  speak  of  her  anon.  For  the 
moment  cheer  me,  as  you  can.  What  says 
Marcus  ?  I  do  not  mean  our  revered  parent, 
but  the  Antonine.  '  Enter  into  every  man's 
Inner  Self,'  he  urges,  '  and  let  every  man 
enter    into    thine.'     But    how    many    portals 

182 


A  compact: 

worth  entering  will  grant  an  entrance,  and 
at  how  many  does  not  the  knocker  fright 
us  from  the  door  ?  With  you  and  me,  however, 
that  is  not  so.    We  are  one." 

"  Of  late  that  thought  has  been  my  only 
consolation,"  replied  Hilarion. 

"  I  should  like  to  believe  that  the  miseries 
of  the  times  are  weighing  upon  you  as  they 
weigh  upon  me,"  continued  his  brother ; 
"  but  your  part,  no  doubt,  continues  to  be  a 
frozen  abstraction,  removed  above  the  tribu- 
lations of  your  kind." 

"  For  the  moment  I  have  sorrows  enough  of 
my  own,"  confessed  the  hermit,  and  Arcadius 
eyed  him  curiously.  The  survey  convinced 
Hilarion's  brother  that  something  was  indeed 
amiss.  The  solitary  had  grown  very  thin,  and 
the  only  bright  thing  about  him  was  his  eyes. 
He  looked  pale,  untidy,  unfit,  unhappy. 

"  You  are  ill,  brother.  You  have  been  over- 
doing it.  I  curse  myself  that  I  have  not  been 
looking  after  you  more  closely,"  cried  Arcadius; 
but  Hilarion  shook  his  head. 

"  If  I  am  slightly  emaciated  and  less  comely, 

183 


PAN  AND  THE  TWINS 

that  is  to  the  good,"  he  answered.  "  I  have 
nothing  to  grumble  at  in  reaHty  but  my  own 
faulty  nature.    Tell  me  about  yourself." 

"  I  find  that  as  the  mind  develops,"  answered 
Arcadius,  "  the  hope  of  happiness  grows  fainter. 
That  is  a  melancholy  discovery,  and  every- 
body has  got  to  make  it,  be  he  monk  or  country 
gentleman.  My  old  ideals  fade.  I  must  plan 
my  future  days  and  ambitions  upon  a  new 
foundation." 

"  Our  minds  are  moving — that  is  in  itself  a 
hopeful  fact,"  replied  his  brother,  but  without 
conviction. 

"The  sum  is  well  stated  by  rare  Juvenal," 
answered  Arcadius.  "  For  what  says  he  ? 
'  Pray  for  a  sound  mind  in  a  sound  body,  for 
a  good  finish,  not  a  doubtful  continuation,' 
which  is  to  say  not  an  eternal  becoming  as  the 
metaphysicians  propose,  but  a  glorious  being, 
such  as  flesh  and  blood  rightly  demands.  So 
many  of  you  Christians  do  nothing  but  look 
forward,  and  miss  the  journey  of  life  itself  by 
consequence.  '  Fear  not  death,'  adds  the  poet, 
'  but  when  it  comes,  recognise  it  for  the  last 

184 


A  COMPACT 

though  not  the  least  of  Nature's  blessings.' 
He  is  spiritual  and  exalted  in  his  sentiments. 
He  would  have  us  choose  the  labours  of 
Hercules  rather  than  those  of  Venus  and, 
before  all,  seek  peace  through  virtue,  wherein 
alone  it  shall  be  found.  Nothing  about  happi- 
ness, mark  you  ;  yet  for  a  man  who  follows 
this  direction.  Fortune  is  no  goddess.  He 
stands  alike  indifferent  to  her  promise  of 
friendship,  or  her  threat  of  enmity." 

Hilarion  sighed. 

"  It  is  all  very  well  for  you,  who  have  a  good 
and  beautiful  wife  and  a  noble  son,  to  turn  up 
your  nose  at  Venus,"  he  answered.  "  It  is  easy 
to  despise  what  we  possess  and  pretend  our 
treasures  are  of  little  worth  ;  but  what  did  we 
feel  about  them  before  we  won  them  ?  This : 
that  they  represented  all  things  vital  to  con- 
tent, happiness  and  life  itself  ?  " 

Arcadius  stared  ;  then  a  sunshine  of  delight 
broke  over  his  face  and  transformed  it. 

"  You're  in  love  !  How  human,  how  refresh- 
ing !  How  close  it  brings  us  !  This  is  indeed 
blessed  news." 

185 


PAN  AND  THE  TWINS 

"  '  Blessed  news '  you  call  it,"  answered  the 
other  in  hollow  accents.  "  You  have  imagina- 
tion— you  read  the  poets — then  try  to  conceive 
what  this  must  mean  to  me.  I  am  in  love,  as 
you  say  ;  and  could  a  more  appalling,  unex- 
pected and  shattering  event  have  crashed  into 
the  serenity  and  fancied  security  of  my  un- 
fortunate existence  ?  " 

*'  Great  Gods  !  You  talk  as  though  it  were 
a  crime  to  fall  in  love,  brother." 

"  For  me  it  was.  Such  a  thing  ought  to 
have  been  utterly  impossible  to  one  armed  as 
I  am,  fixed  as  I  have  ever  been  on  the  celibate 
ideal  and  its  implications." 

"  Doesn't  this  prove  the  celibate  ideal  a 
myth  ?  " 

"  Far  from  it  ;  nothing  is  proved  save  my 
own  pride  and  abominable  self-assurance.  I 
always  knew  too  well  that  I  was  a  sinner,  but 
never  feared  to  fall  into  such  a  trap  as  this." 

"  What  have  you  done,  after  all  ?  "  inquired 
his  brother. 

"  Nothing  particularly  grievous  until  now," 
confessed  Hilarion.    "  But  I  had  my  full  share 

i86 


A  COMPACT 

of  the  old  Adam,  of  course,  like  the  best  and 
worst  of  us,  and  I  should  have  looked  far  more 
sharply  after  it  and  not  felt  so  insanely  con- 
fident." 

"  Men  are  born  babes,  not  sinners,"  replied 
Arcadius,  "  and  to  talk  of  '  original  sin  '  is  to 
talk  nonsense,  as  I  have  already  told  you. 
Your  sin,  if  I  may  say  so,  Hilarion,  is  not  to 
fall  in  love  with  a  high-minded  and  noble  girl, 
but  to  have  fallen  in  love  with  yourself.  That 
is  the  trouble  with  you,  as  it  was  with  Nar- 
cissus. Your  sin — I  hate  the  word — lies  in 
evading  a  brave  man's  destiny,  his  battle  with 
life,  his  duty  to  his  neighbour.  I'm  not  preach- 
ing, because  of  late  I  find  myself  committing 
the  same  grave  errors.  You  and  I  are  making 
a  similar  mistake  in  opposite  ways.  This  is 
only  to  show  that  our  natures  are  one,  though 
our  religions  are  two.  Your  fault,  dear  brother, 
lies  in  the  things  you  are  doing  to  ensure  your 
own  salvation.  You  seek  to  intimidate  and 
impress  the  people  with  your  righteousness  ; 
but  your  devotees  are  far  more  useful  than 
yourself.    They  carry  on  the  world's  work,  not 

187 


PAN  AND  THE  TWINS 

you — just  as  my  slaves  are  justifying  their 
existence,  not  I.  The  least  of  these  is  more 
valuable  than  Hilarion,  or  Arcadius.  To  be 
busy  about  nothing  but  your  own  little  soul 
is  in  my  opinion  to  argue  a  soul  barely  worth 
saving.  Does  your  personal  discomfort  in  this 
den  bring  anybody  else  nearer  your  God,  even 
if  it  brings  you  nearer  ?  Does  your  present  life 
beget  a  ray  of  happiness  for  any  created 
creature  but  the  badgers  ?  Emphatically,  no. 
Therefore  accept  this  warning  and  amend  your 
days,  even  as  I  design  to  amend  my  own." 

"  You  know  nothing  at  all,"  replied  Hilarion 
and  argued  a  little  tactlessly,  seeing  that  he  was 
talking  to  a  married  man. 

"  We  can  leave  me  out  of  the  question,"  he 
began  ;  "  and  whether  my  vocation  is  good, 
or  no.  One  must  judge  for  oneself  about  that. 
But  we  are  for  the  moment  confronted  with 
the  fact  that  I  am  in  love.  My  Church  already 
finds  the  sex  question  to  bristle  with  diffi- 
culties. Christianity  may  soon  be  deploring 
the  fact  that  there  should  be  such  things  as 
women  at  all.     The  Fathers  deprecate  their 

i88 


A  COMPACT 

existence  very  definitely.  But  certain  prob- 
lems are  already  solved,  and  we  now  know  that 
only  the  Almighty's  plan  for  perpetuating  the 
race  justifies  marriage.  It  follows  that  we 
endure  the  institution  and  propose  to  elevate 
it  into  a  sacrament  and  something  much  more 
respectable  than,  at  present,  we  find  it.  But 
wedded  Christians,  by  the  nature  of  things, 
cannot  vie  with  the  single  in  selfless  devotion 
to  what  alone  matters ;  nor  can  they  fairly 
hope  to  enjoy  a  solitary's  share  of  the  ultimate, 
heavenly  reward.    This  is  self-evident  justice." 

Arcadius  stared,  then  he  sighed. 

"  Oh,  Constantine,  Constantine  !  "  he  cried, 
"  your  conversion  has  ruined  the  world  and 
delivered  it,  chained  and  bound,  to  a  most 
tragical  error.  But '  conversion  '  will  not  much 
longer  be  the  word,  for  if  those  in  power  think 
thus,  '  conversion  '  will  soon  spell  '  compul- 
sion.' Is  Christianity  going  to  end  this  world 
while  showing  us  the  way  to  the  next  ?  " 

Then  he  returned  to  Hilarion. 

"  You  are  at  the  parting  of  the  roads,"  he 
said,  "  and  your  next  step  may  mar  a  valuable 

189 


PAN  AND  THE  TWINS 

man  and  end  a  beautiful  life.  Surely  no  creed 
would  smile  on  such  a  catastrophe  ?  " 

"  What  man  ?  What  life  ?  "  inquired  the 
hermit.  "  I  mar  no  man  and  threaten  no  life. 
All  I  have  ever  demanded  are  the  best  possible 
conditions  for  communion  with  my  Maker  and 
advancement  of  my  soul." 

"  And  yet  I  speak  the  truth.  Others  can 
fall  in  love  as  well  as  you.  The  man  you  will 
wreck  is  yourself  ;  the  beautiful  existence  you 
will  assuredly  terminate  belongs,  at  present 
precariously,  to  my  wife's  cousin,  Erotion." 

His  brother  turned  pale. 

"  What  evil  has  befallen  her  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  She  has  had  the  doubtful  fortune  to  love 
also,"  replied  Arcadius,  "  and  it  remains  to  be 
seen  whether  she  loves  a  man  or  the  selfish 
shadow  of  a  man.  Love  has  come  to  her  as  the 
whirlwind  to  the  threshing-floor.  She  is  swept 
away  upon  it,  and  if  nothing  happens  to  temper 
her  tragic  suffering,  she  will  soon  perish." 

"  She  loves  me  !  "  gasped  Hilarion. 

"  Why  not  ?  Cupid  is  no  respecter  of 
persons,  yet  can  be  exceedingly  intelligent  and 

190 


A  COMPACT 

gracious  when  in  a  pleasant  mood.  Take  my 
own  case.  Was  there  ever  a  couple  better 
matched,  more  one  at  heart,  more  perfectly 
suited  each  to  the  other  than  Ceres  and  I  ? 
It  is  true  that  you  have  just  doomed  us  to  a 
lower  table  at  your  celestial  banquet,  where, 
beneath  the  salt,  we  shall  see  you  reclining 
among  the  few  honest  bachelors ;  but  she  and 
I  shall  be  together  ;  and  that  very  possibly 
may  be  quite  heaven  enough  for  us." 

"  Don't  think  I  meant  anything  personal," 
stammered  Hilarion. 

"  No,  no  ;  you  will  still  be  my  dear,  twin 
brother.  But  I  spoke  of  Cupid  and  declared 
that  he  will  often  make  a  kindly  shot  and  bag 
a  brace  well  suited  to  each  other.  And  I  assert 
that  my  wife's  cousin  would  have  made  you  a 
magnificent  wife,  while  you  must  have  been 
the  perfect  spouse  for  such  a  serious-minded 
and  earnest  maiden.  Instead,  what  is  going  to 
happen  ?  You  are  floored  by  reality  and  will 
henceforth  be  mighty  little  use  to  God,  or 
man,  so  far  as  I  can  see  ;  and  as  for  Erotion 
she  will  die.     She  is  in  the  doctor's  hands  at 

191 


PAN  AND  THE  TWINS 

this  moment,  and  Rufus  knows  perfectly  well 
what's  the  matter  with  her,  though  he  calls  it 
by  another  name  in  the  usual,  silly,  professional 
manner." 

"  This  is  awful  news,"  murmured  Hilarion. 
He  sat,  a  monument  of  despair,  staring  before 
him  into  the  eye  of  the  East  wind  with  his  hands 
in  his  beard  and  his  cowl  fallen  back  upon  his 
broad  shoulders. 

"  I  was  not  going  to  tell  you  the  sad  truth 
about  her,"  explained  Arcadius,  "  for  if,  as  I 
imagined,  you  had  not  thought  of  her  again, 
it  had  only  been  to  harrow  you  to  relate  her 
sufferings,  though  you  were  the  cause  of  them. 
A  man  cannot  be  asked  to  wed  a  maiden  because 
she  desires  him  to  do  so  ;  but  since  you  are 
also  perfectly  and  completely  in  love  with  her, 
surely  there  ought  to  be  hope  for  you  both  ? 
The  world  must  go  on,  whatever  you  say, 
and  if " 

"Peace!  Peace  !"  cried  Hilarion.  "Would 
you  have  me  behold  in  the  guise  of  my  brother, 
the  Tempter  of  mankind — the  Arch-Enemy — ■ 
the  Master  of  the  Pit  ?  " 

192 


A  COMPACT 

"  Nothing  is  gained  by  calling  me  names," 
answered  Arcadius,  "  and  who  the  Master  of 
the  Pit  may  be  I  have  yet  to  learn.  Keep  your 
nerve  and  be  self-possessed.  It  was  time  you 
knew  these  things,  for  to  destroy  a  fellow- 
creature  whom  you  love  appears  to  me  an 
action  that  neither  good  Christian  nor  Pagan 
would  smile  upon.  Consider  your  dilemma. 
You  decHne  to  wed  Erotion.  Why  ?  That 
your  soul  may  win  the  highest  place.  But, 
seeing  that  Erotion  will  most  certainly  sink 
into  the  earth  if  you  do  not  marry  her,  what 
price  are  you  going  to  pay  for  your  saintship  ? 
Embarrassing,  is  it  not  ?  " 

"  Appalling,"  admitted  Hilarion. 

I  venture  to  think,"  continued  Arcadius, 
that  your  halo  would  be  a  trifle  tarnished 
under  any  such  distressing  circumstances ;  and, 
after  all,  it  is  quite  a  question  whether  eternity, 
even  with  a  halo,  might  be  as  refreshing  as  the 
same  lengthy  period  spent  beside  a  dear  and 
loving  wife.  A  halo  as  an  everlasting  com- 
panion is  a  bleak  thought.  Again — you  don't 
know  all  there  is  to  know.  You  and  your  party 
o  193 


PAN  AND  THE  TWINS 

may  be  hopelessly  wrong  about  marriage 
putting  a  man  out  of  the  hunt  for  saintship. 
You  must  admit  that  a  clever  woman  helps  one 
forward,  and  even  a  good  woman  may  do  the 
same.  They  are  seldom  both  clever  and  good, 
as  in  the  case  of  Ceres,  but  you  can't  have 
everything,  and  there  is  no  doubt  that  Erotion, 
who  is  a  Christian  now  and  was  a  perfect 
character  before,  would  do  much  to  help  you 
on  your  way  and  nothing  to  hinder.  You  have 
seen  what  a  tower  of  strength  to  each  other 
man  and  wife  occasionally  can  be  ;  why,  then, 
should  you  suppose  that  two  perfectly  mated 
people  must  mutually  hinder  on  the  road  to 
your  heaven  ?  How  much  more  likely  that 
united  they  may  attain  to  a  higher  reward 
than  either  alone.  For  at  least  such  a  couple 
have  stood  up  to  life  ;  and  why  you  should  be 
more  handsomely  rewarded  for  running  away 
from  it  I  fail  to  appreciate." 

"  You    don't    grasp    the    point,"    answered 
Hilarion  hopelessly. 

"  Yes  I  do,"  repUed  Arcadius,  "  because  I 
have  experience  and  estimate  the  value  of  what 

194 


A  COMPACT 

I  tell  you.  I  am  twice  as  good  a  man  as  I  was 
before  I  married  Ceres,  and  I  mean  to  be  twice 
and  four  times  as  good  at  no  distant  date. 
With  a  wife  like  mine  and  such  a  god  as  Pan,  I 
ought  to  blush  for  myself,  for  I  am  not  worthy 
of  either.  But  ere  long  I  hope  to  be.  There 
are  great  ideas  moving  in  my  mind — Pan  has 
doubtless  put  them  there.  They  don't  involve 
running  away  from  my  wife  and  family, 
however.  Ceres  had  a  daughter  six  weeks 
ago.  All  is  well,  and  we  are  going  to  call 
her  Pomona  Maria,  after  the  goddess  of  fruit 
trees  and  the  gracious  human  Mother  of  your 
Man-God." 

"  I  am  very  glad,"  replied  Hilarion.  "  Let 
her  be  a  Christian,  dear  brother." 

"  She  shall  be  exactly  what  she  wishes 
to  be,"  replied  Arcadius.  "  My  only  care 
is  to  see  the  young  fountain  of  her  mind 
spring  pure  from  its  pure  sources.  To  poison 
wells  is  an  evil  deed,  but  venial  to  poisoning 
youthful  minds.  You  Christians  promise  all 
manner  of  things  for  your  infants — a  great 
and  futile  profanity  if  you  look  at  it  justly, 


PAN  AND  THE  TWINS 

for  who  can  promise  for  another  ?    Have  I 
convinced  you  ?  " 

"  Far  from  it,"  declared  Hilarion.  "  I  view 
with  the  utmost  uneasiness  your  arguments — 
so  to  call  them.  I  mean,  of  course,  regarding 
Erotion." 

"  Well  then,  hear  a  wiser  than  I.  Let  Pan 
have  a  chat  with  you." 

Hilarion  flushed. 

"  Be  careful  of  what  you  are  saying,"  he 
answered  stiffly.  "  You  know  that  I  don't 
believe  in  Pan." 

"  Why  not  ?  I  believe  in  your  God — in  all 
three  of  them.  After  all,  the  proof  of  the 
god  lies  in  his  worshippers.  Few  other 
proofs  are  ever  offered.  You  must  believe  in 
Pan,  if  for  no  other  reason  than  that  I  believe 
in  him.  He  is  a  restful,  a  kindly,  a  wise  deity, 
and  it  cannot  hurt  you  to  listen  to  him.  He 
may  agree  with  you — I  have  no  idea  of  the 
opinion  he  will  deign  to  express." 

"  Hurt  me  he  certainly  cannot,"  answered 
Hilarion.  "  There  is  nothing  that  can  pierce 
my  armour  but  my  own  weakness." 

196 


A  COMPACT 

"  Then  let  him  speak.  He  was  willing  that 
Ceres  should  become  a  Christian,  recollect. 
There  is  nothing  paltry  about  him.  He  is,  in 
fact,  a  god,  though  he  may  be  but  a  shadow 
from  your  point  of  view.  Truth  cannot  con- 
tradict truth,  and  who  knows  that  what  my 
god  says  to-day,  your  God  may  affirm  to- 
morrow ?  Let  that  be  the  test.  If  Pan 
advises  after  such  wisdom  that  your  heavenly 
Counsellor  contradicts  him,  I  will  say  no  more  ; 
but  should  my  god  say  '  do  thus  and  thus,'  and 
your  own  Director  offer  you  like  advice,  then, 
surely,  it  will  be  impossible  for  you  to  remain 
longer  in  doubt  of  your  duty — both  to  god 
and  woman  ?  " 

"  You  suggest  a  most  irregular  course," 
replied  his  brother,  "  for  what  shall  any  god, 
in  whom  I  do  not  believe,  have  to  say  to  me 
that  can  matter  to  me  ?  I  will,  however,  for 
the  love  I  bear  you " 

"  And  Erotion." 

"  For  the  love  I  bear  to  all  my  fellow- 
creatures,  and  out  of  a  great  desire  to  do  the 
right   thing,    I    consent   to   this   unusual   ex- 

197 


PAN  AND  THE  TWINS 

pedient.  I  warn  you,  however,  that  though 
he  speak  with  the  tongue  of  angels,  I  shall 
severely  discount  his  suggestions  and  submit 
each  and  all  to  a  higher  authority." 

"  It's  a  bargain,"  agreed  Arcadius.  "  Of 
course,"  he  added,  "  I  cannot  speak  for  my 
god.  He  may  not  believe  in  you  any  more 
than  you  believe  in  him  ;  but  I  feel  fairly 
sanguine.  Many  bear  the  thyrsus  who  do  not 
know  the  god,  and  many  know  the  god  who  do 
not  bear  the  thyrsus.  I  mean  that  you  may 
find  Pan  something  far  nearer  to  your  heart 
than  you  imagine  ;  and  he  loves  you,  whether 
you  will  or  no,  for  he  told  me  so." 

"  I  shall  be  true  to  my  principles,"  replied 
Hilarion,  "  but  meantime  keep  me  not  in 
suspense.  My  heart  is  breaking  for  that  sick 
girl.  Leave  me  now,  best  of  kind  brothers, 
for  I  would  pray  for  her." 

"  Do  so — we  will  leave  no  stone  unturned 
to  save  her,"  promised  Arcadius. 

Then  he  kissed  his  haggard  twin  and  de- 
scended the  mountain  feeling  exceedingly 
sanguine. 

198 


A  COMPACT 

"  We  weave  our  own  garlands  round  the 
eternal  gods,"  he  thought,  "  until  often, 
struggle  as  they  may,  they  cannot  show  us 
their  divine  faces  for  what  we  have  hung  and 
heaped  upon  them." 


199 


XII 

SUSPENSE 

ON  still  days,  when  the  wind  is  resting 
and  the  sky  clouded,  yet  not  so  heavily 
curtained  but  the  place  of  the  sun  may 
be  seen  ;  on  days  at  the  edge  of  autumn,  when 
the  flame  and  pomp  of  the  fading  year  cease 
their  challenge  for  a  while,  there  is  born  into 
the  spirit  of  man  a  pensive  mood  that  does  not 
deepen  into  sadness,  but  rather  exalts  than 
casts  down.  It  springs  of  the  diurnal  mono- 
tone, spreads  placidly  through  thought,  as  the 
grey  mist  upon  the  meadow,  and  is  welcome. 
It  comes  in  temperate  guise  and  flings  never 
a  sharp  shadow  to  heighten  the  splendour  of 
great  lights ;  it  brings  no  inspiration,  but 
rather,  like  the  weather,  dims  and  softens, 
leaving  the  mind  restrained,  receptive,  per- 
vious to  sensation.  Other  days  dominate, 
awake  emotion  and  demand  reaction  ;    while 

200 


SUSPENSE 

these  still,  ash-coloured  hours  take  the  spirit 
by  stealth  and  their  quality  wins  us  to  a  brood- 
ing patience  before  the  spectacle  of  life. 

On  such  a  day  and  in  such  a  humour  Arcadius 
ascended  again  to  see  his  brother.  Some 
months  had  passed  by  since  last  he  visited  the 
cavern,  and  Pan  was  still  silent.  No  response 
had  come  to  his  petition,  yet  the  young  man 
persisted  in  it  and  his  soul  did  not  faint.  There 
was  a  measure  of  good  news  for  Hilarion,  as 
well  as  the  frosty  intelligence  that  his  brother's 
god  as  yet  had  given  no  sign. 

Now,  climbing  upward,  it  happened  that 
Arcadius  fell  in  with  the  serpent — she  whom 
he  had  seen  in  the  splendour  of  her  new  robe 
many  years  before. 

"  And  how  is  it  with  you  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  Much  as  usual,"  replied  she.  "  I  go  on 
my  peaceful  way  and  think  my  thoughts." 

"  Still  moralising  at  the  vision  of  existence 
vouchsafed  to  your  ladyship  ?  " 

"  Certainly.  To  moralise  becomes  me  and 
can  do  no  other  created  thing  harm.  For 
example,  on  beholding  this  crab  tree,  with  its 

201 


PAN  AND  THE  TWINS 

sparkling  harvest  of  gold  and  crimson  fruit 
cast  down  upon  the  sward  for  those  to  eat  who 
will,  an  idea  occurred  to  me." 

"  Nobody  wants  a  crab-apple,"  replied  the 
other. 

"  True.  Yet  here  and  there  you  see  a  mouse 
has  broken  through  in  hope  of  seeds — then 
abandoned  its  disagreeable  task.  Many  crabby 
creatures  have  valuable  seeds  in  them,  Arcadius, 
but  life  is  too  short  for  the  painful  business  of 
extraction.  So  such  sour  folk  are  left  to  wonder, 
what  it  is  that  denies  them  the  attention  their 
sweeter  and  perhaps  less  nourishing  neighbours 
win  so  readily.  They  are  conscious  of  their 
excellent  seeds ;  quite  unconscious  of  the  sour 
pulp  in  which  they  are  packed  away." 

"  Excellent,"  admitted  Arcadius.  "  Now  I 
go  to  another  moraliser — the  hermit,  Hilarion." 

A  cold  spark  glinted  in  the  serpent's  eye. 

"  Not  long  since,  while  he  taught  the 
peasants,  I  too  listened  and  was  a  good  deal 
upset,"  she  said.  "  I  crept  away  unseen 
and  have  been  perturbed  ever  since." 

"  Impossible,"  declared  Arcadius.     "  He  is 

202 


SUSPENSE 

made  of  mercy  and  would  not  hurt  a  living 
thing." 

"  We  serpents,"  continued  the  lady,  "  have 
ever  been  held  in  honour  for  v^isdom  and  other 
quaUties  that  man  appreciates,  but  too  often 
lacks.  The  snake  is  also  the  symbol  of  prophecy 
and  of  youth  renev^^ed.  In  the  form  of  a  ser- 
pent came  ^sculapius  from  Epidaurus,  as  it 
was  written  in  the  SibclHne  books.  Within  the 
temples  of  the  God  of  Healing  we  are  preserved 
and  cherished  ;  our  record  is  without  a  stain  ; 
we  have  justly  won  reputation  and  the  respect 
of  gods  and  men.  Yet  what  is  this  that  Hilarion 
tells  the  people  ?  A  very  different  story — an 
outrage — a  libel  on  my  race  !  " 

•"  The  Garden  of  Eden  and  so  on — yes,  I 
remember,"  replied  Arcadius.  "  Rather  pain- 
ful for  you  to  hear,  no  doubt." 

"  Exceedingly  painful  and  exceedingly  im- 
proper," grumbled  the  serpent.  "  From 
saviours,  we  are  come  to  be  destroyers — 
tempters — cunning  rascals — the  villains  of  the 
human  drama.  It  ought  not  to  be  allowed — 
in  fact  something  must  be  done  about  it." 

203 


PAN  AND  THE  TWINS 

"  Forget  it,"  advised  Arcadius. 

"  Of  course  we  well  know  that  listeners 
never  hear  any  good  of  themselves,"  admitted 
the  snake,  "  and  this  is  a  lesson  to  me  not  to 
lend  an  ear  to  any  of  your  doubtful  race  in 
future  ;  but  one  thing  I  will  say  :  that  if 
you  are  going  to  scorn  the  serpent,  you  will 
quarrel  with  ^sculapius  and  henceforward 
sacrifice  to  him  in  vain.  When  Hilarion  has 
aches  and  pains  he  may  whistle  for  the  god — 
and  Hygieia  too." 

"  We  shall  all  be  whistling  for  the  gods 
pretty  soon,"  answered  Arcadius.  "  My  own 
opinion  is  that  every  generation  gets  the  gods 
it  deserves,  and  that  the  Olympians  have 
deserted  us  in  a  body.  For  look  at  our  unhappy 
State — the  tribulation  on  every  hand— another 
emperor  murdered  and  Nemesis  doubtless 
waiting  for  us  at  every  turn." 

'*  You  must  expect  disaster,"  replied  she. 
"  This  comes  from  cleaving  to  new  deities  and 
cold-shouldering  your  faithful  old  supporters, 
from  insulting  respectable  people,  like  myself, 
who  have  had  no  small  share  in  your  welfare, 

204 


SUSPENSE 

and  from  forgetting  your  obligations  gener- 
ally." 

She  glided  indignantly  away  and  the  man 
climbed  on. 

It  was  true  that  another  monarch  had  fallen 
and  the  young  and  harmless  brother  of  Gratian 
gone  to  join  that  monarch  in  the  shades.  It 
seemed  that  the  purple  must  ever  be  dyed  with 
blood,  and  civil  wars  too  swiftly  dismember 
the  Roman  Empire.  Arcadius  had  not  the 
least  ambition  to  take  up  arms  himself  ;  but, 
like  the  serpent,  strongly  felt  that  something 
must  be  done  about  it.  Now  he  only  waited 
for  Pan's  guidance  to  enter  upon  a  more  mas- 
culine life,  and  play  what  part  the  god  might 
order  in  this  hour  of  the  nation's  need. 

He  now  appeared  before  Hilarion  and  felt 
pained  to  observe  how  emaciated  and  miserable 
his  twin  brother  had  become. 

"  Welcome,"  he  said.  "  I  have  good  and 
bad  news,  and  I  will  give  you  the  bad  news 
first.  Pan  has  made  no  sign  in  answer  to  my 
prayers  and  sacrifices  ;  but  we  must  of  course 
wait  his  good  pleasure  and  his  hour.     I  have 

205 


PAN  AND  7HE  TWINS 

not,  so  far  as  I  can  judge,  done  anything  to 
cause  him  anger,  or  to  turn  him  from  me  ; 
therefore  hope,  as  I  do.  And  Erotion — well, 
Erotion  is  a  little  better." 

"  Thank  God  for  that,"  repHed  his  brother  ; 
and  so  deeply  was  he  moved  that  he  wept. 
Arcadius  supported  him  with  good  cheer ; 
but  concerning  the  improvement  in  the  girl's 
condition,  concealed  the  reason  for  this  happy 
circumstance.  For  that  Ceres  had  to  be 
thanked.  She  did  not  hesitate,  on  learning 
the  great  fact  how  Hilarion  loved  Erotion,  to 
inform  her  cousin  that  the  recluse  was  in  like 
case  with  herself  ;  and  the  joy  of  hearing 
that  her  passion  was  returned  proved  so  pre- 
cious for  the  sufferer  that,  even  though  nothing 
as  yet  promised  to  come  of  it,  the  mere  in- 
formation comforted  her  more  than  tonics  or 
change  of  air. 

Ceres  had  indeed  breathed  hope,  and  her 
feminine  intuition  spied  happiness  in  the 
future  for  the  distracted  couple.  It  appeared 
so  emphatically  a  case  for  Providence,  and 
Providence  had  played  Ceres  so  fair  since  she 

206 


SUSPENSE 

became  a  Christian,  that  the  wife  of  Arcadius 
set  her  faith  in  that  high  principle  and 
trusted  the  future  to  it. 

Her  brother-in-law  now  asked  after  Ceres 
and  Pomona  Maria.  He  then  explained  that 
his  own  duty  still  appeared  doubtful  to  him. 
He  could  not  feel  positive  on  the  point,  but 
was  inclined  to  fear  marriage  must  be  an 
impossibihty  and  that  fate  meant  to  solve  the 
problem  abruptly. 

I   am  very  weak  and  ill,"  he  explained, 

and  1  inchne  to  the  opinion  that  I  am  going 
to  die  ;  but  whether  as  a  reward,  or  punish- 
ment, I  feel  uncertain." 

Arcadius  protested  against  any  such  fear, 
and  Hilarion  proceeded  in  a  melancholy  mood. 
He  declared  himself  more  of  a  miserable  sinner 
than  ever,  and  disparaged  his  existence  so 
morbidly  that  the  other  became  angered. 

"  This  attitude  is  abominable,"  cried  Arca- 
dius, "  and  very  soon  I  shall  begin  to  hate  a 
Church  that  takes  such  a  preposterous  view  of 
the  good  world  into  which  man  is  born.  Not 
so  the  vanishing  faith.    You  may  laugh  at  us — 

207 


PAN  AND  THE  TWINS 

we  are  about  the  only  thing  you  do  laugh  at — 
and  you  may  find  the  ancient  cult  absurd  and 
outgrown  ;  but  heathenism,  as  you  are  pleased 
to  call  it,  has  many  redeeming  qualities.  It  is 
at  least  jubilant,  good-humoured,  high-spirited, 
tolerant  and  charitable.  Among  our  solemni- 
ties we  dance  and  sing,  we  feast  and  rejoice. 
Our  hierarchy  are  human,  and  the  better  do 
they  understand  us  for  that  reason.  Never  an 
augur  debating  the  doubtful  entrails  of  a 
sacrifice  is  steeped  in  such  gloom  or  utters 
such  woeful  prophecies  as  your  least  deacon. 
You  defeat  your  own  object  and  confound 
your  own  world-wide  ambitions,  for  how  shall 
a  faith  that  breathes  eternal  damnation  ever 
grip  the  human  heart — except  with  terror  ?  " 

"  To  exchange  falsehood  for  truth  is  always 
alarming,"  replied  Hilarion,  "  and  all  great 
changes,  whether  social  or  religious,  must  upset 
our  lives  and  cause  a  varying  measure  of  dis- 
comfort, if  not  actual  suffering.  Man  is  not 
easily  wrenched  from  his  matrix  of  custom. 
And  in  custom,  in  habits,  in  traditions,  all 
deeply  rooted  through  generations  upon  our 

208 


SUSPENSE 

hearts  and  minds,  we  find  that  unfortunate 
link  which  completes  what  at  first  sight  appears 
to  be  a  vicious  circle.  It  is  a  misfortune  that 
belongs  to  the  nature  of  things,  and  I  have  not 
discovered,  even  in  my  own  sublime  religion, 
any  evidence  that  it  can  be  banished." 

"  I  see  your  point,"  replied  his  twin  brother  ; 
"  for  while  custom  holds  upon  her  steady  course 
and  while  tradition  offers  us  that  breadth  of 
vision  which  we  cannot  enjoy  without  it,  yet, 
in  our  natural  instinct  to  lean  upon  the  past, 
there  must  always  be  a  stubborn  obstacle  to 
progress." 

"  Yes,"  agreed  Hilarion.  "  The  static  is 
ever  the  enemy  of  the  dynamic,  and  man  in 
the  lump  will  continue  to  think  that  what  was 
good  enough  and  safe  enough  for  his  fathers  is 
good  enough  and  safe  enough  for  him.  Hence 
the  hard  and  ugly  death  of  accepted  things 
and  vested  interests,  religions  among  the 
rest." 

"  Faced  with  this  obdurate  and  unyielding 
dilemma,  then,  man  can  never  reach  any 
millennium,  though  it  is  to  his  credit  that  he  is 
p  209 


PAN  AND  THE  TWINS 

always  trying,"  replied  Arcadius,  "  for  pro- 
gress must  mean  misery  for  somebody.  Indeed 
it  invariably  does.  The  wheel  cannot  turn 
upon  the  road  without  destroying  harmless 
and  contented  creatures.  In  fact  somebody's 
dog  is  always  being  run  over  ;  and  the  chariots 
of  Christianity  drive  so  furiously  that  the 
victims  will  soon  be  numerous.  Granted  for 
argument's  sake  that  it  is  good  ;  even  so  the 
road  is  strewn  with  many  sufferers  ;  and  what 
most  gives  the  Pagans  pause  is  this  :  the  in- 
creasing numbers  of  your  own  faith  who  appear 
among  your  victims.  You  do  not  agree  among 
yourselves  and  you  do  not  agree  to  differ 
among  yourselves.  Heresy  and  schism  keep 
you  even  busier  than  propaganda  and  conver- 
sion. The  Arians  are  down  ;  but  what  of  the 
others  ?  " 

"  One  must  have  Inconveniences  and  differ- 
ences of  opinion  at  first,"  replied  Hilarion. 
"  We  are  merely  cutting  our  teeth  at  present 
and,  of  course,  want  something  to  cut  them 
on.  Controversy  and  competition  are  a  sign 
of  life  and  health.     There  is  no  doubt  that 

210 


SUSPENSE 

Rome  will  set  the  final  standards,  become 
paramount,  and  exercise  universal  authority 
over  the  souls  of  men." 

"  Pan  was  right,  however,  as  he  always  is," 
declared  Arcadius,  "  and  religion,  like  life  itself, 
must  submit  to  the  law  of  change  and  breed  its 
own  sorrow,  even  in  the  heart  of  its  own 
success.  Change  is  the  unalterable  and  ever- 
lasting pronouncement,  and  change  means 
suffering  to  all  sensible  life,  destruction  for 
every  human  institution  and  heavenly  star." 

They  sank  into  a  gloomy  silence  ;  but  it  was 
swiftly  broken  by  the  shuffle  of  heavy  feet 
and  the  huge  form  of  "  Innocence,"  the  bear, 
darkened  the  mouth  of  the  cavern. 

Hilarion  did  not  feel  fear,  for  he  was  long 
past  any  such  emotion  ;  nor  did  he  experience 
great  surprise  when  his  brother  accosted  the 
bear  in  its  own  vernacular. 

"  Welcome,  old  friend  !  "  laughed  Arcadius, 
as  the  brute  rose  on  its  hind  legs  and  gave  him 
a  gentle  hug  of  greeting  ;  "  this  is  indeed  an 
honour  !  I  never  thought  to  receive  you  as 
a  guest." 

211 


PAN  AND  THE  TWINS 

But  the  visitor  did  not  immediately  reply. 
He  was  much  out  of  breath  and  panted  for 
some  time  with  his  head  down  and  his  great 
tongue  lolling  out  of  his  mouth. 

Hilarion,  perceiving  that  this  bear  was  known 
favourably  to  his  brother,  fetched  the  beast 
a  game  pie,  which  he  had  not  himself  had  the 
heart  to  open.  It  was  gone  in  a  moment,  and 
the  bear,  much  refreshed,  delivered  his  message. 

"  I  come  from  Pan,"  he  said.  "  I  may 
mention  in  passing  that  I  have  myself  returned 
to  Pan,  and  am  now  his  servant  and  steadfast 
follower.  I  do  things  that  he  does  not  hke — 
for  example  my  attitude  to  flocks  and  herds 
differs  vitally  from  his  own ;  but  I  have 
entirely  given  up  devouring  malefactors  at  his 
express  command,  and  even  a  god  can't  have 
it  both  ways,  as  he  well  knows." 

"  To  business,"  interrupted  Arcadius.  "  It 
is  a  great  joy  to  see  you  here  and  a  still  greater 
joy  to  know  whence  you  come.  The  god  has 
a  message.    I  have  long  expected  it." 

"  He  bids  you  and  your  brother  attend  him 
on  this  spot  at  evening  time  three  days  hence." 

212 


SUSPENSE 

proceeded  "  Innocence,"  "  and  he  made  a 
point  of  the  fact  that,  as  his  trusted  messenger, 
I  must  be  well  rewarded." 

"  Stop  here,"  begged  Arcadius.  "  Spend  a 
week,  or  a  fortnight,  with  me  among  these 
hills  and  enjoy  yourself.  If  it  is  clearly  under- 
stood you  have  ceased  to  devour  the  human  race 
— malefactors  and  otherwise — you  are  welcome 
and  may  trust  me  for  good  and  varied  hunting. 
This  is  the  monk,  Hilarion,  a  holy  man  who 
wishes  you  nothing  but  well,  and  is  as  grateful 
to  you  for  your  message  as  I  myself." 

"  I  may  stop  here  altogether  for  that 
matter,"  replied  "  Innocence."  "  I  am  weary 
of  the  Alban — not  that  I  have  worn-out  my 
welcome,  for  I  never  had  any.  But  these 
Sabine  ranges  offer  promise,  and  such  a  cavern 
as  this  would  suit  me  well  enough.  I'm  not 
as  young  as  I  was,  unfortunately.  Good 
arbutus  berries  ripening  overhead  I  note. 
And  how  is  Valentinian  ?  " 

"  Your  Valentinian  is  dead  long  ago," 
answered  Arcadius,  and  the  great  bear  was 
astonished. 

213 


(( 


PAN  AND  THE  TWINS 

And  what  did  he  die  of  ? "  asked  "  Inno- 


cence." 


a 


Of  his  own  temper,"  explained  Arcadius, 
and  the  bear  showed  still  greater  surprise. 

"  Most  unusual,"  he  said.  "  It  was  generally 
the  other  people  who  died  of  his  temper." 

He  went  down  the  hill  with  his  host  presently 
and,  indeed,  slept  and  dined  at  the  villa.  But 
he  left  his  sleeping  quarters,  in  an  empty 
stable,  before  daylight,  so  far  forgot  his 
manners  as  to  eat  a  calf  that  belonged  to  a 
freed  man,  and  then  proceeded  to  explore  the 
possibilities  of  his  new  home. 

Arcadius,  before  he  slept,  returned  to 
Hilarion  and  heartened  him,  warming  his  spirit 
in  cheerful  talk  concerning  Erotion,  and  his 
body  with  a  great  flask  of  soup,  wherein  white 
wine  had  been  poured. 

"  Pan,"  he  said,  "  has  an  art  to  eliminate 
from  a  human  life  the  things  that  do  not 
matter  ;  and  I  have  been  astonished  to  find, 
when  this  is  done,  how  little  remains.  The 
vital  subjects — how  few  !  It  is  the  same  with 
the  history  of  the  world.    We  fasten  on  showy 

214 


SUSPENSE 

detail  and  find  that  we  have  missed  the  simple 
springs  of  movement,  the  foundation-stone 
that  supports  all.  You  will  hear  nothing  to 
cause  you  any  inconvenience,  for  Pan  is  a  god 
apart  ;  his  worship  breeds  no  jealousy  in  the 
souls  of  the  deities,  let  them  be  as  jealous  of 
each  other  as  they  will." 

"  I  am  not  afraid,"  answered  Hilarion, 
"  and  only  the  issue  will  reveal  whether  I  have 
done  rightly  or  wrongly  to  heed  this  immortal 
being." 

"  At  any  rate  do  not  fret  about  dying  until 
you  learn  whether  it  is  worth  while  to  live," 
urged  his  devoted  brother. 


215 


XIII 

THE  WAT  OUT 

ON  the  eventful  day,  Erotion  was  borne 
to  the  Pomponian  villa,  that  she  might 
hear  if  any  hopeful  word  could  be 
spoken  by  the  god  of  Arcadius.  She  had  much 
doubted,  with  Ceres  and  Hilarion  himself, 
whether  they  deserved  to  be  sanguine — 
whether,  indeed,  such  a  step  as  Arcadius  now 
designed  did  not  partake  of  divination,  or 
even  sorcery — a  deadly  sin.  But,  seeing  that 
the  husband  of  Ceres  had  ever  been  a  faithful 
disciple  of  the  Pasturer,  and  feeling  as  many 
early  Christians  felt  that  this  deity  stood  in  a 
measure  apart,  they  cheered  each  other  as  best 
they  might  and  hoped  at  least  no  harm  would 
befall  them. 

"  If  we  are  mistaken,"  said  Ceres  gently, 
"  it  is  certain  that  our  own  heavenly  Mentors 
will  soon  make  our  error  clear," 

2l6 


THE  WAT  OUT 

At  the  Pomponian  villa  the  cousins  waited 
hand-in-hand — Erotion  upon  her  couch,  for 
she  was  still  very  sick,  and  Ceres  beside  her. 
They  spoke  on  various  subjects  to  distract 
their  thoughts,  but  ever,  as  the  night  advanced, 
returned  to  Hilarion  and  Arcadius. 

The  lover  of  the  hermit  felt  least  hopeful ; 
yet,  when  she  feared  some  dire  rebuke  might 
fall  upon  Hilarion's  head  for  thus  tampering 
with  a  false  god,  Ceres  reminded  her  that  Pan 
was  at  any  rate  old  and  wise,  Hilarion  still 
young  and  exceedingly  inexperienced. 

"  After  all,  countless  thousands  of  good 
men  and  women  have  died  firmly  believing  in 
Pan,"  she  said,  "  and  in  many  other  gods  and 
goddesses  also  who  were  far  less  satisfactory 
than  he.  I  have  often  heard  my  husband 
relate  this  deity's  opinions,  and  whatever  our 
Guides  may  think  of  Pan,  he  certainly  has  no 
quarrel  with  Them." 

So  they  talked,  and  when  darkness  hung 
heavy  on  the  land  and  a  candle  told  that  it  was 
two  o'clock,  their  ears  began  to  strain  for  the 
footfall  of  Arcadius. 

217 


PAN  AND  THE  TWINS 

"  He  cannot  be  much  longer  now,"  declared 
Ceres.  In  her  heart  was  a  suspicion  that 
not  only  her  husband  but  his  brother  also 
might  presently  appear  ;  but  this  dream  o£ 
good  tidings  she  dared  not  whisper  to  Ero- 
tion. 

Meanwhile,  at  the  entrance  of  Hilarion's 
cavern,  under  a  sky  of  autumn  stars,  sat  Pan 
and  discoursed  with  the  twins. 

He  had  come  to  them  at  his  appointed  hour 
and  disdained  not  the  yellow  figs  which 
Arcadius  himself  brought,  with  a  flask  of  most 
exquisite  wine. 

Both  brothers  were  nervous,  especially  the 
recluse,  but  Pan  set  them  at  their  ease  and 
appeared  to  be  in  a  humorous  mood. 

"  Who  is  this  swarthy  and  sinister  person  I 
have  met  with  in  picture-books  illustrating  the 
new  faith  ?  "  he  inquired.  "  Artist  monks 
paint  him  in  their  illuminated  missals,  and  he 
is  always  either  causing  annoyance,  or  suffering 
the  gravest  indignities.  I  ask,  because  he  is  a 
very  colourable  imitation  of  myself  with  his 
horns  and  hooves ;   but  he  has  an  unkind  face, 

218 


THE  WAT  OUT 

usually  carries  a  trident,  suggestive  of  Nep- 
tune, and  flourishes  a  much  longer  tail  than 
mine." 

"  You  refer  to  our  personification  of  the 
Evil  One,  the  Prince  of  Darkness,  Satan," 
replied  Hilarion  uneasily. 

"  I  have  heard  of  him,"  replied  Pan,  "  and 
much  regret  the  Enemy  of  Mankind  resembles 
one  who  would  fain  be  humanity's  friend. 
However,  artists  are  only  answerable  to  their 
own  ideals  ;  we  have  to  do  with  graver  things, 
and  indeed  your  faith  is  a  very  grave  matter. 
Many  scions  are  being  grafted  upon  the 
original  stock,  and  I  hear  that  while  your 
bishops  and  shepherds  clatter  their  crosiers 
and  crooks  on  one  another's  heads,  the  sheep 
are  a  good  deal  alarmed.  For  errors  of  faith 
are  already  so  easy,  and  so  fatal,  among  you 
servants  of  the  Galilean.  Now  you  fight  like 
demons  to  decide  whether  the  Son  was  created 
out  of  nothing  ;  now  you  belabour  each  other 
upon  the  question  whether  the  trinity  consists 
of  Three  Persons  or  Three  Hypostases  ;  and 
despite   the   gravity   of   these   questions,   you 

219 


PAN  AND  THE  TWINS 

approach  them  in  such  a  pugnacious  and 
ferocious  mood  that  wisdom  flies  your  contests 
and  the  people  stand  trembhng  and  waiting 
to  know  where  safety  and  salvation  lie.  Sect 
and  sect  plot  and  counterplot,  quibble  and 
scratch  each  other's  eyes  out — ostensibly  for 
dogma,  in  reality  for  power — ever  more  power 
over  the  souls  and  bodies  of  the  nations.  And 
seeing  these  things,  Hilarion  here,  and  count- 
less other  men  of  peace,  turn  their  backs  on 
life  and  light  and  love,  to  seek  living  tombs  as 
fit  antechambers  of  the  grave  they  welcome. 
It  is  interesting  to  observe  that  men  will  die 
for  a  sentiment,  not  for  an  opinion.  Dogma 
is  going  to  slay  its  thousands  ;  but  metaphysics 
has  no  martyrs.  There  is,  indeed,  none  who 
looks  sharplier  after  his  own  skin  than  a  meta- 
physician, though,  of  course,  he  will  tell  you 
that  he  hasn't  really  got  a  skin. 

"  Now,  twin  brother  of  my  Arcadius,  state 
your  case  and  I  shall  declare  what  I  think 
about  it.  Do  not  expect  advice ;  but  my 
frank  opinion  is  yours." 

"  Thus  it  stands  with  me,  god  Pan,"  replied 

220 


THE  WAT  OUT 

the  young  man  firmly.    "  On  the  one  side  I  am 
faced  with  the  experience  of  human  love.     I 
turned  my  back  upon  it  as  you  say  ;    but  it 
would  not  turn  its  back  on  me  ;    and  now  my 
nature  craves  before  all  things  for  union  with 
Erotion,  of  the  House  of  Severus,  a  Christian 
maiden — one   of   my   own   converts    in   fact. 
Against  this  mighty  experience  my  Faith  cries 
trumpet-tongued,  that  the  end  of  the  world 
fast  approaches — how  fast  no  man  can  tell.    It 
may  be  a  year  or  two  ;   it  may  be  to-morrow  ; 
but  our   Scriptures   tell  us,    and   our   Divine 
Master  himself  has  stated,   that  the  time  is 
near.     Seeing,  therefore,  that  the  end  of  the 
world  and  the  judgment  of  the  human  race 
cannot  be  long  delayed,  have  I  the  right  to 
proceed   as   though   this  fiery  ordeal  were   a 
thing  of  the  remote  future  ?    Ought  not  I  and 
Erotion  and  all  men  and  women,  rather  than 
trifle  with  the  joys  of  life  in  this  world,  to  be 
flying  from  the  wrath  to  come  and  concerning 
ourselves  with  the  next  world  alone  ?    That  is 
the  question  to  which  I  can  find  no  answer, 
for  my  soul  speaks  with  two  voices  and  I  stand 

221 


PAN  AND  THE  TWINS 

between  them  deprived  of  the  power  of 
decision." 

"  On  his  own  showing,"  added  Arcadius, 
"  my  brother  is  not  fit  to  judge.  Thus  it  is 
with  all  who  think  as  he  does  :  they  deprive 
themselves  of  the  power  of  judgment ;  they 
scorn  the  social  health  of  the  community, 
flout  the  ordinary  processes  of  nature,  con- 
demn all  happiness,  and  so  render  themselves 
utterly  unable  to  pronounce  an  opinion  on  the 
simplest  problems  of  human  policy.  One 
world  at  a  time  is  a  very  sane  motto,  whatever 
may  be  our  opinions  concerning  another,  and 
now  Nemesis  has  descended  upon  Hilarion  and 
he  stands  caught,  as  it  were,  in  the  net  he  has 
so  ignorantly  spun  for  his  own  feet." 

"  This  is  no  new  thing,"  replied  the  God. 
"  Your  Pagan  teachers  of  old  were  quite  as 
strict,  and  quite  as  often  confounded  right  and 
wrong,  becoming  confused  between  the  errors 
of  the  flesh  and  its  lawful,  natural  pleasures. 
Plato  will  be  found  to  talk  much  as  your  Saint 
Paul,  and  Marcus  Aurelius  was  also  something 
of  a   Christian   before  Christ.     Epicurus,  on 

222 


THE  WAT  OUT 

the  other  hand,  preserved  a  golden  mean, 
founding  his  philosophy  upon  reason  alone. 
Moderate  and  restrained  pleasure  helps  to 
make  the  world  go  round  smoothly,  my  friends, 
and  to  turn  away  from  it  is  an  act  of  pure 
superstition.  Happiness,  as  I  have  often  told 
Arcadius,  is  an  universal  desire  and  ideal,  not 
put  into  your  hearts  for  nothing.  Far  more 
depends  upon  it  than  you  have  yet  grasped  ; 
and  to  decry  happiness,  as  you  affect  to  do,  is 
to  oppose  natural  instinct  and  waste  time  in  a 
bhnd  alley,  since  this  particular  instinct  makes 
for  good.  Whereto,  think  you,  your  craving 
for  misery  will  lead  ?  Man  is  but  man,  and 
by  lowering  his  vitality,  denying  himself  the 
friendship  of  nature  and  decHning  her  manifold 
devices  for  making  this  life  worth  while,  he 
speedily  renders  it  not  worth  while." 

"  That  it  cannot  be  worth  while  is  our  con- 
viction," replied  Hilarion. 

"  Nevertheless  you  have  found  for  yourself 
that  it  may  be  of  exceeding  worth.  And  what 
follows  your  theories  put  into  practice  ?  You 
all  become  short-tempered,  overwrought,  un- 

223 


PAN  AND  1EE  TWINS 

strung,  acerb,  uncharitable  and  harsh.  Your 
Christians  are  going  to  make  a  world  of  porcu- 
pines, spit-fires  and  tyrants — a  world  where 
man  will  find  that  his  security  is  gone,  his  soul 
no  longer  his  own,  himself  a  slave  without 
liberty  of  thought,  or  freedom  of  conscience. 
And  this  because  what  your  Saviour  intended 
should  be  a  guide  to  compassion  and  ruth,  is 
already  wrested  from  the  spirit  of  the  Man- 
God  and  will  presently  become  such  a  stone  in 
humanity's  pathway  that  generations  must  fall 
bruised  and  bleeding  before  it  shall  be  rolled 
from  the  road." 

"  But  the  end  of  the  world,"  murmured 
Hilarion. 

"  Upon  that  subject  you  are  misinformed," 
replied  the  goat-foot  god  genially.  "  There  is 
no  immediate  fear  of  any  conclusion.  The 
world  is  destined  to  continue  for  a  very  long 
time,  and  it  will  outlast  not  only  your  life,  but 
the  lives  of  many  millions  of  mankind  yet  to 
be  born.  The  world  is,  in  fact,  still  young,  as 
worlds  go.  It  can  even  count  upon  a  future 
when  religions,  that  drift  from  East  to  West 

224 


THE  WAT  OUT 

and  pass  after  each  other  as  the  clouds  pass 
before  the  wind,  will  finally  thin  away,  giving 
place  to  the  naked  and  ardent  sunshine.  From 
Olympus  to  Golgotha  and  onward  to  the 
Mount  of  Reason — these  are  but  steps  in  the 
progress  of  human  consciousness.  The  eternal 
truths  remain  forever  few.  A  little  child  can 
count  them.  They  have  already  echoed  vainly 
upon  human  ears,  and  will  still  sound  but 
faint  and  far  off  for  many  an  age.  It  is  by 
being  selfish  and  patriotic  that  mankind  gives 
evil  its  tremendous  power.  Between  the  Scylla 
and  Charybdis  of  Creed  and  Greed  his  labour- 
ing bark  still  tosses  and  will  toss  while  innumer- 
able hosts  go  down  to  Dis.  The  end,  however, 
is  safe — within  no  god's  bosom — but  at  the 
heart  of  unborn  men  and  women." 

They  did  not  reply  and  Pan  proceeded. 

"  And  now,  Arcadius,  I  will  tell  you  of  that 
one  unclouded  happiness  which  breeds  no 
worm  and  brings  no  shadow.  It  is  the  happi- 
ness born  solely  on  account  of  another  ;  the 
happiness  planned  and  wrought  for  humanity  ; 
the  happiness  begot  of  the  outlook  that  elimin- 
Q  225 


PAN  AND  THE  TWINS 

ates  self  ;  the  happiness  of  a  Socrates  or  a 
Jesus.  Men,  not  man,  have  often  risen  to  this 
noble  height  ;  but  never  a  community,  never 
a  nation.  Go  into  the  world,  you  twain  ; 
leave  your  villa  and  your  cave  and  do  what  you 
may  to  comfort  the  uncomforted  and  bring  a 
smile  upon  the  faces  of  those  who  never  smile. 
You  can  accomplish  very  little  ;  but  that  is  not 
your  affair.  Within  your  own  gift  at  least  lies 
the  power  to  bring  the  highest  happiness  to 
yourselves  that  man  may  know.  You  stand  as 
yet  virgin  of  experience.  You  have  both 
good  qualities,  which  you  are  wasting  ;  for 
Arcadius,  with  his  slaves  and  lands  and  pelf,  is 
just  as  useless  as  Hilarion,  with  his  sandals  and 

skull." 

"  He  has  buried  the  skull,  Mighty  One," 
said  the  disciple  of  Pan. 

"  Good,"  answered  the  god.  "  It  belonged 
to  an  Egyptian  who  prayed  to  the  mummy  of 
a  cat,  loved  his  fellow-creatures  and  did  many 
kind  little  things,  before  they  killed  him  for 
another's  error.  ...  So  thus  it  stands,  my 
lads.    If  you  would  be  happy,  do  good  to  those 

226 


THE  WAT  OUT 

you  will  never  see  ;  help  those  you  will  never 
know  ;  serve  those  who  will  never  thank  you  ; 
use  your  gifts  of  wealth,  eloquence,  sympathy 
for  the  benefit  of  all  men.  Do  not  stand  and 
look  on  and  shake  your  head  from  your  front 
doorstep,  Arcadius  ;  no  longer  whine  about 
your  soul  in  this  over-furnished  cavern, 
Hilarion  ;  but  forget  yourselves  and  throw 
your  hearts  and  gifts  and  energies  into  the 
business  of  making  the  city  of  Rome  a  happier 
place  than  you  know  it  to  be.  Arcadius  can 
help  the  sick  and  suffering  and  do  his  little 
part  to  staunch  the  wounds  and  lessen  the 
indignities  of  the  poor  and  needy  ;  Hilarion 
can  speak  burning  words  of  faith  and  cheer 
and  hope.  He  can  follow  his  Master  very 
effectively  ;  and  if  his  road  leads  to  his  Master's 
cross,  which  is  probable,  what  better  place  ? 

"  You  are  greatly  blessed,  moreover,  in  your 
women.  Ceres  will  prove  a  noble  right  hand 
for  Arcadius  ;  and  her  cousin  may  be  entrusted 
to  advance  the  ideals  of  Hilarion." 

"  Can  you  hesitate,  brother  ?  "  asked  Arca- 
dius.    "  If  that  which  you  would  do  shall  be 

227 


PAN  AND  THE   TWINS 

better  done  beside  Erotion,  can  you  hesi- 
tate ?  " 

"  Should  the  end  of  the  world  indeed  be 
delayed "  began  Hilarion,  and  stopped. 

Pan  regarded  him  with  a  smile. 

"  Are  there  any  Eleusinian  mysteries  in  your 
faith  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  Most  certainly  not,"  replied  Hilarion, 
"  nothing  of  the  kind." 

"  I  heard  a  rumour  of  Love  Feasts,"  replied 
Pan  gently,  "  but  I  daresay  it  was  only  a  Pagan 
rumour.  You  have  adopted  so  many  charming 
details  from  the  old  faith  ;  and,  in  any  case, 
where  is  the  prosperous  religion  that  has  no 
part  or  lot  with  sex  ?  " 

"  I  have  always  told  my  brother  that  he 
went  into  this  business  too  young,"  declared 
Arcadius. 

"  But  sex  is  the  one  thing  we  abhor," 
answered  Hilarion  firmly. 

"  How  different  from  your  grandfathers," 
replied  Pan.  "  Now  they  glorified  sex  and 
honoured  it  with  many  a  significant  and  healthy 
ceremonial.    They  went  a  trifle  too  far  some- 

228 


THE  WAT  OUT 

times — who  does  not  ?  But  you  are  lost  in  the 
opposite  direction.  You  ignore  sex,  insult  it, 
deny  it,  do  everything  but  escape  it.  That, 
being  men  and  women  first.  Christians  after- 
wards, you  cannot  do.  And  what  results  ? 
The  fair  and  sweet  becomes  foul  and  bitter. 
You  assault  a  vital  part  of  yourselves,  and  out- 
raged Nature  hits  back  with  hideous  blows. 
In  the  interests  of  spiritual  development  you 
would  crush  the  sources  of  your  being,  with 
the  result  that  sex  loses  its  rhythm  and  too 
often  becomes  your  sole,  horrid  preoccupation 
and  possession.  Asceticism,  my  good  Hilarion, 
is  merely  sensualism  spelled  backward,  and  a 
man  may  as  well  seek  to  fly  from  his  feet  and 
hands  as  from  the  foundations  of  his  physical 
existence.  You  dam  the  healthy  human  im- 
pulses, and  they  run  over  into  your  souls, 
stagnate  and  breed  a  pestilence.  Healthful 
energies,  designed  that  man  may  endure  and 
rise  to  his  remote  destiny,  are  converted  to 
soul-destroying  demons  by  your  folly  ;  there- 
fore drop  this  nasty  nonsense  ;  be  a  man,  my 
friend,  and  face  manhood.     To  fly  from  it  is 

229 


PAN  AND   THE   TWINS 

the  highest  cowardice,  the  greatest  danger ; 
for  trust  me,  the  soul  that  has  honoured  its 
body  on  earth  will  sooner  win  the  nod  of  your 
good  Peter  at  the  Gate  than  that  mistaken 
spirit  who  has  dragged  unclean  thoughts, 
unclean  dreams  and  unclean  bones  through  a 
lonely  desert.  Quit  this  attitude  of  exaggerated 
respect  for  your  own  soul,  Hilarion,  and  devote 
your  span  to  the  souls  of  other  people,  that 
your  own  may  become  worthy  of  respect.  A 
soul  should  not  rust  out,  but  wear  out  on  the 
business  of  other  souls.  Therefore  take  to 
heaven  a  soul  polished  by  well-doing,  not  one 
mouldy  with  storage.  Fight  and  die  clean  and 
game — both  of  you." 

"  And  marry  Erotion  first  ?  "  asked  Hilarion 
humbly. 

"  Yes,"  replied  Pan.  "  Most  emphatically 
marry  Erotion  first.  There  is  nothing  in  your 
religion  to  forbid  you  from  being  a  decent 
member  of  society,  or  from  assuming  the 
dignity,  happiness  and  responsibility  of  a 
normal  man.  Feed  up  and  take  exercise  and 
get  well  again.    Then  be  married  and  go  into 

230 


THE  WAT  OUT 

the  world — hearty,  healthy,  sane — to  win  your 
experience,  enlarge  your  sympathy  and  do  with 
your  might  what  you  will  find  within  your 
reach  to  be  done.  And  don't  break  your  shins 
on  forms  and  ceremonies.  Progress  in  morality 
never  depended  on  religions  and  never  can. 
Somebody  has  said,  or  will,  that  the  religion  of 
one  age  is  the  literary  entertainment  of  the 
next ;  but  the  righteousness  of  an  age  is  the 
true  light  for  those  that  follow ;  and  as 
righteousness  waxes  and  wanes  from  century 
to  century,  so  may  mankind  hope  or  fear, 
setting  his  course  for  the  good  and  avoiding 
the  evil. 

"  Bless  you  both,  and  may  whatsoever  gods 
there  be  smile  upon  your  endeavours." 

He  rose,  and  while  Arcadius  knelt  and  kissed 
his  stalwart  hoof  according  to  custom,  Hilarion 
bowed  respectfully.  Even  as  he  did  so  he  felt 
a  doubt  that  bolts  from  his  own  affronted  deity 
might  strike  him.  But  nothing  happened. 
As  Arcadius  had  assured  him  on  a  previous 
occasion,  truth  cannot  contradict  truth  ;  and 
was  it  not  written  three  hundred  years  before 

231 


PAN  AND  THE  TWINS 

Christ,  that  "  Communion  and  friendship, 
temperance  and  justice  bind  together  heaven 
and  earth  and  gods  and  men  ?  " 

Yet  Arcadius  felt  conscious  of  a  change  in 
Pan,  and  before  the  deity  stumped  off  upon  his 
night-hidden  way,  he  spoke  to  him. 

"  How  is  it  with  you  yourself,  dear  God  ?  " 
he  asked.  "  It  has  ever  been  the  selfish 
mortal's  custom  to  fling  his  troubles  upon  an 
immortal  director  and  load  the  divine  shoulders 
with  burdens  often  of  his  own  making ;  yet  I 
do  not  stint  my  love,  and  love,  being  quick- 
sighted,  perceives  a  change." 

"  It  is  with  me  as  with  all  of  us  in  whom 
mankind  puts  trust  and  faith,"  replied  the 
god.  "  The  measure  of  a  deity's  success  must 
ever  depend  upon  the  quality  of  his  worshippers. 
The  breath  of  our  celebrants  and  votaries  is 
the  life  in  our  nostrils ;  and  as  that  diminishes, 
so  must  we  abate.  Godkind  are  in  truth  solely 
dependent  on  mankind,  as  light  is  nothing 
without  darkness,  heat  nothing  without  cold, 
stability  no  more  than  a  word  without  vicissi- 
tude and  change.     To-day  new  divine  figures 

232 


THE  WAT  OUT 

are  at  the  meridian  of  man's  worship  ;    a  new 
evangel  draws  the  heart  and  hope  of  humanity  ; 
a  new  dynasty  of  Heaven  is  to  be  exalted  to 
the  central  throne  ;  but  the  simple  theology  of 
your  Christian  primitives  will  be  soon  overlaid, 
corrupted,  lost  in  the  usual  flood  of  myth  and 
metaphysic.     Meantime  we  constellations  of 
Olympus  sink  to  our  setting  under  the  dawn 
of  your  Triple  Sun.    We  pass  to  the  Hmbo  of 
vanished  pantheons  and  mythologies  ;   we  join 
the  gods  of  Assyria  and  Persia  and  Egypt  in 
their    everlasting   eclipse ;     we    diminish    and 
melt  away  as  the  snow  upon  Soracte,  while 
human    hope    and    fear,    trust    and    affection 
depart  from  us.     Some  will  vanish  out  of  the 
heart  of  man  for  ever  ;  while  others  may  loiter 
as  loved  ghosts  for  all  time.     Of  such  am  I, 
and  my  syrinx  shall  yet  whisper  by  the  river, 
my    lonely    altars    win    their   worship    down 
many  an  avenue  of  human  years.     For  herds 
must  roam  upon  the  high  lands,  flocks  silver 
the  water  meadows ;  and  man,  thinking  on  the 
mettle    of   his   pastures,    still   spare    a   kindly 
thought  for  the  Pasturer." 

233 


PAN  AND  THE  TWINS 

He  was  gone,  and  though  Hilarion  suggested 
waiting  until  morn,  Arcadius  would  not  have 
it  so,  but  made  his  brother  descend  straightway 
to  Ceres  and  Erotion. 

They  found  the  women  on  their  knees,  lifted 
them  up  and  filled  their  hearts  with  joy  ;  but 
after  Ceres  and  Arcadius  had  stolen  from  them, 
the  lovers  could  do  no  more  than  clasp  hands 
and  gaze  upon  each  other's  faces  in  silent  and 
speechless  bliss.  Thus,  indeed,  did  Aurora, 
goddess  of  dawn,  find  them,  as  she  ascended 
out  of  the  East,  to  pay  her  tribute  of  dewy 
tears  at  Memnon's  grave  ;  and  she  woke  roses 
in  the  pale  cheeks  of  Hilarion  and  his  lass,  and 
flashed  into  their  adoring  eyes  the  light  of 
the  morning  star  and  the  rapture  of  the 
morning  wind. 


234 


XIV 
THET  GIRD   THEMSELVES 

THEODOSIUS,  last  of  those  mighty 
Romans  who  shook  the  world — last  of 
stature  to  stand  beside  Julius  and 
Augustus  —  granted  audience  and  attended 
to  affairs.  Having  dealt  faithfully  with  the 
rascals  responsible  for  the  destruction  of 
young  Gratian  and  the  second  Valentinian, 
for  a  moment  he  breathed  himself  in  Rome. 

Then  there  came  to  him  a  wise  and  saintly 
bishop  with  a  tale  of  woe  ;  and  Theodosius 
barkened  to  this  good  prelate  and  considered 
the  matter  of  the  twins,  Arcadius  and  Hil- 
arion. 

"  I  hear,"  said  the  Emperor,  "  that  they  are 
mighty  busy  in  well-doing.  Themselves  and 
their  wives  seek  to  benefit  the  capital  and 
support    those    precious    edicts    of    the    first 

235 


PAN  AND   THE  TWINS 

Valentinian  touching  our  physicians  and  our 
education.  They  are  an  enHghtened  pair  and 
clearly  on  the  side  of  the  angels.  Arcadius  is 
generous  with  his  wealth,  nor  does  he  commit 
his  benefactions  to  lesser  men,  but  strives 
valiantly  in  person  to  reach  the  roots  of  evil, 
and  being  a  shrewd  and  honest  person,  does 
far  more  good  than  harm.  Of  how  many  can 
we  say  as  much  ?  I  have  myself  listened  to  his 
purposes  from  his  own  lips  and  find  no  little 
to  applaud.  He  is,  in  truth,  a  worthy  man 
and  does  worthy  things.  As  for  Hilarion, 
he  possesses  the  gift  of  golden  speech,  utters 
comfortable  words  and  draws  the  sad  and 
suffering  to  our  God.  Would  there  were  more 
such  single-hearted  Christians  in  the  priest- 
hood." 

"  All  that  you  say  is  true,  Majesty,"  ad- 
mitted the  anxious  bishop,  "  and  concerning 
Hilarion,  though  once  a  solitary,  dedicated  to 
the  life  of  aloofness  and  contemplation,  I 
confess  that  by  entering  the  ranks  of  men  he 
has  served  both  humanity  and  religion.     But 

236 


IHET  GIRD  THEMSELVES 

Arcadius  is  another  matter.  Granted  that  he 
does  much  obvious  good  and  spends  his  wealth 
to  excellent  purpose  ;  granted  that  he  works 
in  the  Lord's  vineyard  with  a  will,  rises  early 
and  late  takes  rest  ;  yet  is  all  held  to  be  dust 
and  ashes,  since  nothing  but  evil  can  ultimately 
reward  his  efforts.  In  a  word,  he  refuses  to  be 
baptised.  He  is  pure  Pagan  at  heart  and  does 
not  blush  to  own  and  keep  in  good  repair  a 
temple  to  Pan.  Thither  he  is  known  to  with- 
draw himself  from  time  to  time  and  commune 
with  this  false  divinity. 

"  And  what  would  your  eminence  propose 
to  do  about  it  ?  "  inquired  Theodosius. 

"  The  hierarchy  is  of  opinion  that  he  should 
be  destroyed,"  replied  the  bishop  regretfully. 
"  A  majority,  of  which  I  am  not  one,  submits 
that  Arcadius  be  publicly  burned  alive  for  an 
example." 

"  I  think  not,  my  friend.  Arcadius  shall 
never  perish  while  the  Emperor  can  prevent  it. 
Let  us,  bishop,  ask  ourselves  what  the  Master 
would  say  and  do.    He  has  told  us  that  those 

237 


PAN  AND  THE   TWINS 

who  are  not  against  Him  are  with  Him.  The 
Hfe  of  a  good  man,  remember,  is  always  too 
short.  He  must  soon  be  gone  and  the  work 
that  he  has  done  be  forgotten.  Meanwhile 
let  us  regard  Arcadius  as  a  picturesque  and 
harmless  survival  of  a  happier  age  than 
ours." 

"  I  rejoice  in  your  wisdom.  Majesty.  But 
this  is  the  vexed  question  :  May  righteous 
things  be  done  in  the  name  of  Pan  ?  " 

"  Righteousness  is  still  righteousness  and 
cannot  be  otherwise,  bishop,  whatever  the 
source  or  inspiration,"  replied  Theodosius. 
*'  There  you  will,  no  doubt,  find  yourself  in 
opposition  to  many  devout  and  earnest  leaders 
of  the  Faith ;  yet  reason  cannot  deny  it. 
Therefore  let  Arcadius  be  and  suffer  him  to 
proceed  about  his  business.  Stone  not  the 
prophets,  priest." 

Strengthened  by  this  royal  echo  of  his  own 
good  heart,  and  now  determined  to  support 
and  save  Arcadius,  the  prelate  thanked  his 
sovereign  and  withdrew. 

238 


THET  GIRD   THEMSELVES 

"  If,"  thought  he,  "  the  world  had  remem- 
bered that  the  days  of  good  men  are  always 
too  short,  then  many  masters  of  salvation  had 
not  been  driven  from  life  before  their  time 
was  ended,  or  their  precious  gifts  received." 


THE    END 


■39 


Printed  in  Great  Britain  at 

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